The Heart of a Chief & The Soul of a Dragon
by RyoshiMorino
Summary: Dragons have been the scourge of the Viking Archipelago for centuries. Both sides fought, neither one gaining an inch. When things began to look bleak, one person, seeking to gain his people's approval, decided it was time to change.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is another Experiment of mine. Within this story we will find an older, slightly stronger young blacksmith, who wants nothing but to gain the love of a young maiden.**_

 _ **1: A Blast to Remember**_

* * *

On an island, built long ago, even though most, if not all of the buildings were brand new, lay the village of Berk. Berk was a harsh place. The food that grew there was tough, and tasteless, and the people, _many_ times more so. For this was a Viking village, and to be a Viking was to be a warrior. Those that carried the title of Viking warrior were large, and muscular men and women, whose prowess in battle was unmatched by any other warrior save for one of their own.

But within the many tribes of these great warriors was one that stood above all others: the Chieftain. Upon the isle of Berk was Chief Stoick the Vast, and leader of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, one of the oldest tribes in the archipelagos.

Their close neighbors were the Meatheads, led by Mogadon, and his young son Thuggory. Rivalry between these two tribes had gone on since the founding of their tribes of three hundred years. From boat racing to hunting, whenever the two chieftains met, a competition was sure to follow.

Next were the Bog-Burglar tribe, a tribe consisting of _Valkyries_ ; female Viking warriors of the fiercest kind, never needing the aid of men save for producing the next generation of Bog-Burglars, and led by the fierce Big-Boobied Bertha, and her heir Camicazi, the finest thief to ever grace the village of female pirates.

The Hysterics were the fourth, and most feared above all the other tribes for their insanity, and barbaric skills with the sword and axe. No one dared tangle with them unless they had a death wish, and led by Norbert the Nutjob.

Which meant that they were always in conflict with the Berserker tribe, second most feared for much the same reasons, save for the fact that they could not control their bestial rage, and were often driven back, led by their Cheif, Oswaldthe Agreeable, and Dagur the Deranged .

Then there came the Outcast tribes, a group of savage, hated Vikings that had been cast out of their own tribes from all across the archipelago, led by Alvin the Treacherous, former friend and right hand of Stoick the Vast.

Finally there were the Lava-Lout tribe, the greatest enemies of the Berkian tribe, none for wearing the skins of slain dragons as armor to keep them safe from the creature's deadly flames. Though not as feared as the Hysterics, they were no less fierce in battle, and ruthlessly hunted down any of the Hairy Hooligan tribe that dared enter their waters.

But we're getting off topic aren't we?

Our story actually begins on Berk, where the Hairy Hooligan tribe must do battle with an age-old enemy of all Vikings; the dragons. Normally Vikings would spend their time, the majority of a year, on the seas, raiding, pillaging, and plundering to make ends meet. But that, for the last three hundred years, has been damnably impossible.

The dragons had come, great droves, raiding, stealing, and, in the long and short of it, killing. The tribes had fought back with all that they had, but with their mighty wings that carried them through the air, land and seas, the dragons had brought the Vikings to their knees, leaving no room to practice their piracy. But no tribe was attacked as much as the Hairy Hooligans.

Every week it seemed the dragons attacked, again and again, save for in the winter months, and never around the time of their Snoggletog holiday, giving them a scant few months of reprieve.

But, unlike you may think, the Chief is not the focus of this tale. Each Chief has his or her heir, and they were strong in their own right...save for the heir of Stoick the Vast. As tradition demanded, a child born small, weak, and sickly is called a ' _Hiccup_ ', because that's what they were to the tribe. In his own way, Stoick loved his son with all of his heart, but to the villagers, he was a disappointment. Had it not been for the fact that so few children had been born in the time of the boy's birth, he would have been given to the sea, and discarded.

But, as luck would have it, only six children had been born in that time, and Hiccup had been the first, born early to the world, as luck would have it. But as it was said, he was a ' _Hiccup_ ', small, and weak compared to others of his age group, but he was fiercely loyal to his father, and his village. His determination often showed in his willingness to do whatever his father asked of him, yet it never gained him the approval of his villagers, whom he would one day lead should he survive.

And we find out young hero, tall for his age, with shaggy auburn locks, and slight muscle build, in the forge of Gobber the Belch, his friend, and his mentor for the passed seventeen years of his life.

Like most Vikings, Gobber was a big man, but only had two limbs, thanks to a Boneknapper dragon biting off his right hand and left leg, but the wiley old Viking never let that stop him. And, as Stoick had lost his wife to a dragon long ago, Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the Third was left in the care of the blacksmith, who taught him everything he needed to know about weapon forging.

While not as beefy as his peers, Hiccup was no longer a ' _Hiccup_ ' as he had been two to three years ago. As he hammered away day and night within the forge, his strength was just as great as his people's were meant to be. But, he was clumsy, and often scorned for the fact that he was a thinker, and not a fighter. The boy was smart, smarter than many in his village. His creativity, however, was not something to brag about. His machines hardly ever worked out on the first try. His mangler, a bola launcher, backfired every time he tried to use it. It earned him the name ' _Helpless_ ' by Snotlout Jorgenson, and the twins, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut.

Matter of fact, the whole of the village seemed to pick up on that nickname...well, almost.

Hiccup felt a tap on his shoulder as he hammered away at the forge, startled, because Gobber always bellowed at him if he wanted his attention. He turned his eyes away from the bent sword he was straightening and found himself staring at the fairest maiden in his village. The Shieldmaiden, Astrid Hofferson.

Astrid was indeed a beauty. Typical blonde hair and blue eyes for a Viking girl, but, like him, she was not as big as some of the girls he knew. She was slim, and athletic, with a figure that mirrored an hour glass. She had rich pink, full lips that almost demanded attention of anyone.

"A-Astrid!" Hiccup stammered, thoroughly spooked, "Uh, what can I do for you, m'lady?"

The girl gave a small smirk at having snuck up on the blacksmith, and blew a strand of hair out of her face, "How fast can you repair my axe?" She asked, thrusting the weapon at him, knocking the wind out of him.

Hiccup was all business then as he looked down at the weapon, "Hmm, folded iron, old...brittle, and there's a crack down one of the blades." He examined, frowning, "What'd you hit with this, a Gronkle?"

"No, I missed and hit a rock in the last raid," she admitted with embarrassment as she turned away from him, "So, can you fix it?"

"No."

"What?!" Astrid rounded on him, glaring fiercely, "Why?!"

"Because," Hiccup started, "This axe will shatter with another hit." To prove his point, he twirled the axe around, and tapped the flat side of the blade against his anvil. The broken side of the axe immediately fell to pieces. Much to Astrid's dismay.

"Oh, _now_ what am I supposed to do?" She bemoaned, palming herself in the face, "That's the only axe I had, and it was an heirloom!"

Hiccup gave a small smile and gathered up the pieces of the axe, "Don't worry, I can make a new one for you," he said, moving over to the smelter, Astrid following after him, "I'll try to make it a little stronger, too. Can't have Berk's best warrior without a weapon, right?"

"But I can't _afford_ a new axe," she said, blushing slightly at his compliment of her. It wasn't every day that the son of the chief, no matter how hopeless he was, paid her a compliment.

Hiccup just shrugged, "Hey, we're due for a raid any day now, and if you go out there without a weapon, you're as good as dead," he said, and worked the bellows to get the metal heated up. "Besides, Gobber would kill me if I didn't do this. And I'd never forgive _myself_ if something happened to you," he muttered quietly.

"What was that, I didn't catch it," she asked, sounding almost polite.

"Uh, I said, Gobber would be mad if I didn't help?"

"Oh," she sighed, thinking she must have misheard him, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I guess he would...you guys have never charged me for repairs before, but you're making a new weapon for me," she said, crossing her arms, "I have to pay you for _that_."

Hiccup bit his lip, "Uh, so what have you been up to?" He asked, checking the temperature, "I haven't seen you since the last raid."

"Ugh, avoiding Snotlout, that's where," she groaned.

Hiccup groaned as well, "Oh, no, what's he done now?"

Astrid scoffed, and sat herself on his worktable, "What hasn't he done?" She asked, scowling, "Do you know how it feels to fend off his advances every single day?"

"Thank Thor almighty, _no_ ," Hiccup found himself laughing, shaking his head, "Let me guess, he invited you to his bedroom-basement, again?"

"And said I could pour him some wine, too," she rolled her eyes, "How do you put up with him all the time, Hiccup? I mean, I've never seen you raise a hand to him!"

Hiccup shrugged, "What good would it do?" He asked, frowning, and added more iron into the smelter when the flames were hot enough, "Look at me, Astrid," he said, gesturing to himself, "I'm not a warrior, not even close. It's probably only luck that my dad hasn't disowned me, yet. If I got into it with Snot, I'd be worse off than if I'd...I'd...stepped in front of an angry Monstrous Nightmare."

Astrid giggled, "Honestly, I think I'd prefer the Nightmare." She said, and hopped up and bumped him in the shoulder, "But you really shouldn't put yourself down like that, Hiccup. You're the son of a chief, and that _means_ something, you know?"

"Not enough for my dad to actually care," he sighed, turning to her, "You know he's been looking for a marriage between me and one of the other tribes? He wants an heir that he can be proud of, even if it's his grandchild."

Astrid frowned, "Well, you are the right age to take a wife, so it's only natural, I guess," she said, smiling a little, "I heard Camicazi's a good fighter."

"But I don't want her," Hiccup muttered, feeling slightly bold, "the girl I want's right here on Berk."

The way he spoke almost made the girl blush, "Um, y-you're talking about Ruffnut, right?"

He didn't turn to look at her. He didn't have to. Both of them knew he wasn't talking about her friend. But Hiccup just shook his head, "Doesn't matter." He sighed, giving the bellows another pump, "I'm Hiccup the Helpless, _no one_ is ever gonna want to marry me."

She punched him in the shoulder, "Stop that!" She snapped, "Of course there's a girl out there for you!"

"Or she could be right here," he said, turning around finally, facing her, "standing right beside me."

Astrid stepped away from him, "Hiccup, I - "

"Don't worry about it," he said, turning back to his work, "Why don't you go on up to the mead hall and get something to eat?" He said, grabbing a bar from his table and started mixing the molten metals inside the smelter, "I'll have this done by tomorrow."

Flustered, and feeling somewhat shameful, the young woman backed out of the forge, "You...you should get something, too, you know?" She said as he stirred the contents of the vat, "You really work too hard sometimes."

Hiccup paused in his stirring, "It's all I have."

Astrid sighed left him to his work, her cheeks burning.

"Stupid, idiot, _how_ could I have said _that_?!" Hiccup berated himself, knocking his head against the wall, "Of course she'd turn me down! I mean, who wouldn't?!" He raged at himself, before returning to the fire, and opening a panel on the side of the smelter, letting the molten iron flow into a mold beside it. As soon as it was cool enough, he began to shape it, hammering furiously.

A chuckle sounded from behind him, "And here I t'ought it was Thor 'imself hammerin' away in 'ere." Gobber said as he hobbled into the forge, looking over his apprentice's shoulder, "How long until it'll be ready?"

"Couple hours, give or take," Hiccup said, frowning, turning the iron on its head, and beginning to make the handle spout. "It was in a bad way."

"I can tell," he clapped the boy on the back gently, "Lad, ye did right by tellin' the wee lass how ye felt," he said, sighing, "T'is no' ev'ry day a lass like that comes along."

Hiccup snorted, "And look where it got me, Gobber," he said, gesturing to the door, "She's gone isn't she?"

Gobber chuckled, "Ye know what she's like," the old blacksmith, "She's been loyal to this village all 'er life, and ever since her family died off, she's sworn to become a Shieldmaiden. That means she never plans to marry. Ye could change her mind, if ye tried hard enough."

Hiccup paused with his hammer raised...then threw it across the room, smashing a hole through the wall. Gobber just grinned. Viking he may not have been, but her was still a Hooligan.

"How in the name of Hel's icy fortress am I supposed to change her mind!?" Hiccup yelled, gesturing wildly, "I'm a Hiccup! The useless, helpless, most un-Viking guy on the whole damned island, and you think I can change _her_ mind?!"

"Aye, that I do," Gobber said, grinning, his metal tooth glinting, "Hehe, ye're stronger than ye think ye are, boyo, and ye're a master blacksmith already at seventeen, and I could'nae be any prouder than if ye were me own _son_."

"I'm my dad's shame, Gobber," Hiccup said, slouching against the wall, " _Why_ would she marry me?"

Gobber stood, looking at the boy, looking broken, and smaller than he had on the day he was born. He stepped over to the boy, and knocked him in the chest with the round side of his hook, "Because, Hiccup Horrendous Hadock, ye are a good man if ever I were to see one. And when the time comes, ye will make a fine chief."

"But not husband material," he sighed, going to retrieve his hammer, "Sorry about the wall, I..I'll fix it later."

"Don't worry about it, lad," Gobber said, shoving the boy out of the way, "And ye skedaddle on up to the hall, and get some food in ye. I doona think I've seen ye take a break all day."

Hiccup shook his head, "I really need to get this done before tomorrow."

"I'll handle it," Gobber said, "Now scat, before I use ye as a tannin' wrack."

=x=

The Great Hall was the large mead hall at the top of the hill next to the chief's residence. Inside was a smoke atmosphere thanks to the hearths burning warmly all around, as well as the multiple roasting spits over the flames. Laughter and merry making abounded inside the hall, because even though the dragons pillaged and burned, the people of Berk still had those around them as comfort.

Astrid, however, normally sat alone unless Ruffnut came over and sat with her to talk, or get away from her brother. Tonight was one of those talking nights as she saw her fellow blonde picking at her food with little interest. She sat down across from the girl and flicked her in the head, "Hey, you in there, Astrid?"

"Ruff, _please_ ," she sighed, brushing her hand away, "Not tonight."

Ruffnut sat back with her arms crossed, "One of _those_ days, huh?" She asked, "Well, what can ya do? We are getting older, and our bods are tellin' us it's time to have a kid, so - "

"Ugh, so _not_ what I'm talking about!" Astrid rolled her eyes in disgust. "It's just been a bad day, is all."

Ruffnut giggled, "Who was it? Snot, or Legs?"

"Snot...and Hiccup, actually," Astrid relented with a sigh as she thought about the freckle-faced blacksmith, a traitorous blush coming to her cheeks.

Ruffnut looked at her in surprised, "Whoa, hang on a minute, you mean, _Helpless_ actually came on to you?"

"Don't call him that, please," Astrid pleaded, placing her hand on her forehead, "And no, he didn't come on to me. He just...I don't know what he did," she sighed and placed her head on the table.

Ruffnut leaned on her hands, "Well, whatever he did, you look a lot more bothered by it than anything Snotface ever did." She smiled, and reached for a piece of boar on her plate, "sho, shpill," she said around a mouthful, swallowing, "What'd he do to get you so hot and bothered?"

"Hot and bothered!?" Astrid's head shot up with a glare for her friend, "That is _so_ not true!"

"You're blushing!"

"It's the heat! We're too close to the hearth!"

"It's twenty feet to your right!" Ruffnut laughed, "Holy Freya, you _are_ moon-eyed over him!"

"Am not!" Astrid huffed, sitting back down.

Ruffnut sat back with a satisfied look on her face, "Well, you'd better be a little bothered, because here comes ol' Snotty again."

"In the name of Odin," Astrid groaned, and bit into the chicken leg quarter she'd gotten just as a shadow passed over her.

"Hey, Babe," Snotlout Jorgenson said, sitting himself down beside her, "did I tell you that you look amazing today, because you do."

"Go away, Snotlout," Astrid grumbled, ' _What I wouldn't give for my axe right now!_ '

"Aw, come on, honey," Snotlout said, scooting closer to her, forcing her to scoot away just as much, "You know you want some of this, I mean what more could you want?"

Astrid gave him a pointed look that could a punched a hole through a Gronkle, "Aside from getting _swallowed_ by the Midgard Serpent?" She asked sarcastically, "How about going out and single-handedly killing a Skrill? Maybe then I'd _think_ about it."

"WHOO!" Snotlout shouted, drawing looks from all of the other villagers. "So whoever kills a Skrill gets to be your husband? _Awesome_!"

"I said I'd think about it if you killed one, idiot!" Astrid snapped, rising from her seat, glaring, "And guess what, even if you did somehow find a Skrill, and managed to kill it without getting yourself fried like a piece of fish, I still wouldn't even touch you with a ten foot pike!"

Snotlout looked a little stunned, but the grin came right back, "But if I kill a Skrill, you'll marry me right?"

"Not a chance in Hel!" Astrid snapped, her hand rearing back to punch him...but then someone else beat her to it. Out of nowhere, a fist slammed right into Snotlout's jaw with a meaty smack, knocking him from the bench.

Stoick and Spitelout, Snotlout's father, both rose from their seats at the back of the hall near the long hearth, rose in sheer shock at the attacker. For there, standing tall and rotating his shoulder stood Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the Third. Hiccup the Helpless. Hiccup the Hiccup, of all people, had just knocked a boy twice is size over, a boy who was now rubbing his jaw, and spitting out a tooth.

"Now that felt a lot better than I thought it would," Hiccup said, staring down at the stunned teen, "If Astrid punching you all the time didn't make it clear enough, then let me spell it out, Snot; _No Means No_ , and that's never going to change!"

Instead of sticking around to say more, Hiccup went to the hearth where a deer was roasting over the fire, cutting off a few strips from the back, and grabbing a mug of watered down mead before finding a spot to sit.

Astrid, and Ruffnut stared after the young man in amazement. "D-did he just - ?!"

"Yeah, Astrid, I think he did," Ruffnut said, just as stunned as her friend. She then grinned as Snotlout rose from the floor, "Nice smile, Snotty. The hole really brings it out."

Astrid giggled as Snotlout only just realized that one of his front teeth was missing, and growled, "When I get through with him, I'll - "

"Lose another tooth," Astrid put in, looking at him with a hard glare, "Because if you touch one hair on his head for defending me, I'll knock the rest of your teeth out."

"But Baby -!"

"And I'm not your ' _baby_ ', or anything for that matter," Astrid said, getting up and taking her plate with her, "So don't ever call me anything except my name _ever_ _again_!"

"Oooh, ouch," Ruffnut giggled as Astrid flipped her braid over her shoulder and sauntered over to where Hiccup was sitting. Her brother and Fishlegs came over then, seeing that the conflict was over, "And _where_ were you guys?"

"Watching, duh!" Tuffnut grinned happily, "That was a totally awesome right hook! Who knew Helpless had it in him!?"

"Yeah, I've never seen Hiccup hit anyone, especially not Snotlout," Fishlegs smiled in admiration, "And he's smaller than you, Tuff."

"I know, right!" Tuffnut grinned, looking at his sister, "What'd Snotlout do to rile him up like that?!"

"Flirted with Astrid," she said, grinning, taking another bite of boar, "As usual."

Fishlegs and Tuffnut looked at each other, and than at the sulking Snotlout, and grinned, "'Bout damned time!"

Hiccup was resigned to eat his meal in peace, unless Snotlout wanted a shot at him, which he expected, but the moment Astrid sat down across from him, all of that went out the window. "Evening, m'lady."

"You know you didn't have to do that," she said softly, although there was a small smile on her face, "I can take care of myself around that idiot, and you know that."

Hiccup nodded, "I know, but he had it coming, and then some," he said, reaching for his drink, "Besides, it felt good to _finally_ knock him down."

Astrid bit her lip to keep a larger smile from forming, "Yeah, I know, I do it almost daily, but it never stops feeling good...Hiccup, about earlier - "

Hiccup held up a hand to stop her, "I told you not to worry about that," he said gently, "I was just shooting my mouth off again, so there's no need to act any different."

She shook her head, "You don't understand," she said, blushing a little bit, "Hiccup, I've got nothing I can offer you. No furniture, no dowry, nothing but an old dusty ruin of a house I haven't even slept in in years."

Hiccup looked at her sadly, "You really think that would matter to me?"

"It should," Astrid sighed, "I'll never have anything but my name to give me honor, Hiccup, and marrying you would make us both look...I don't know...like we were taking pity on each other."

"You pity me?" Hiccup asked, astonished.

" _No_!" The girl said hurriedly, "Gods, no! I mean, you're the son of the chief, and a great blacksmith. You have a _trade_ , Hiccup. You make money, and will lead this village someday. What have I got?"

"Three Nadder heads, and one Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup said, smiling, "I may have a trade, Astrid, but I'm not planning on leading this village until I don't have a choice, like _never_. And everyone around here has killed a dragon, except for me. I can't even hunt all that well...I don't even _like_ killing... _period_. So you see, I'm not the most honorable person in the village."

"Stoick would never allow it," Astrid put in, looking over to where the chief sat, looking down at them with interest, "believe it or not, he _does_ want what's best for you. And that includes a wife."

Feeling bolder than he ever had in his entire life, he reached across the table and took her hand in his own, "He doesn't get to decide who I fall in love with." This caused a brilliant blush to burst across her cheeks. "I've felt that way for a long time, just to throw that out there. I'd do anything for you, m'lady."

"Then forget about me," Astrid rose, leaving her plate, "I'm unfit to marry, and that's that."

Before she left, he asked out loud, "Unless someone kills a _Skrill_ , right?"

She stumbled once, but didn't turn about, thoroughly flustered as she left the hall.

Stoick the Vast, from his seat, had watched the pair from the moment Snotlout had made an advance on the girl, to the moment she left his son at his table, and sighed, "Well, that was brutal." He said, frowning. Looking down at his son, he saw a small amount of himself when he was a boy. Valka had been the same as Astrid, if only slightly less temperamental. But they were the same. Valka had come from a nameless family, yet he had loved her all the same.

Astrid had come from a good family, but had nothing to offer as a wife could. She had nothing at all save for the old Hofferson residence, which she had abandoned long ago in favor of living with Ruffnut's family, if only for companionship. And, in the ways of tradition, Astrid was right. But in their own rights, Stoick thought they would make a fine pair.

And he was pleasantly surprised by his son when he defended the girl. He certainly inherited his mother's right hook. He rose from his seat and made his way down to him, and sat next to him. "How are ye doing, son?"

Hiccup chuckled, "Rejected, as usual." He sighed, "But that's me isn't it? The village _reject_."

Stoick reached out and patted him on the shoulder, "Not to me, yer not." He said, smiling sadly, "Come, if yer done eating, we should both head home and get some rest. The Berserkers are due to arrive tomorrow for the treaty signing."

"Oh, joy, the one person aside from my dad that likes seeing me _also likes to hurl swords and axes at me_ ," Hiccup sighed, finishing his meal, and rising, "I need to head back down to the forge and help Gobber with Astrid's axe, and then I'll head home. Alright?"

Stoick nodded, "Aye, just see that ye get some sleep, alright?" He said, frowning, "Ye look like ye haven't had any in a while."

=x=

Dawn broke across the isle of Berk as Hiccup was finishing up the last touches of Astrid's weapon of choice, putting an edge on it sharp enough to slice through Gronkle hide. It was only when the first rooster crowed that he realized that he'd spent all night on it...again. But he was far from upset. He was looking at his masterpiece. Astrid's axe, reforged with different techniques after Gobber had shaped it for him, was now shining as bright as a star in the firelight. What had really done the trick was that he had quenched the blade in Changewing acid. It had bleached the color to as near white as metal could get, and made it incredibly hard, more so that normal water-quenched, or even oil quenched blades.

And now it was fitted to a piece of hardened oak as a shaft, reinforced with strips of the same type of iron spiraling down the shaft so that it wouldn't break if she hit something too hard, or at the wrong angle.

The axe was _perfect_.

He hefted it, giving it a few good swings, testing the balance, and smiled in satisfaction. Now all he had to do was give it to her. And get cleaned up...and dress in his best clothes to meet with Oswald and Dagur...gods above, he'd forgotten about _Dagur_ of all people! "I think I should hide at the bottom of the well."

He sighed and stepped out of the forge to head home, the axe swung over his shoulder, and noted that it was going to be an overcast day as storm clouds rolled over head. He could even hear thunder rolling in the distance.

"Great," he sighed, frowning up at the sky, which looked ready to let loose, "I hope the rain doesn't hit until after we've met the Berserkers." He said, and went toward his home. Maybe he could catch a quick nap before his father rolled him out of bed.

"HICCUP!"

Or not, for as he opened the door, his father was standing right there waiting for him. "Uh...top of the morning to you, Dad?"

"Verra funny, ye didn't sleep at all last night, did ye?" Stoick asked, his hands on his hips, "Lad, ye look awful!"

"Thanks?"

Stoick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We've got a few hours before Oswald and Dagur arrive." He said, motioning toward the stairs, "Go on up and get a bit of rest, and I'll come find ye when they're about an hour out."

Hiccup nodded, "Sorry about this, Dad, I just - "

Stoick shook his head with a raised hand, "No need to explain, son, I know how ye feel," he said, leaning down, "And between the two of us, I think she's worth the effort." He smiled at his son's reddening face, "Now, go on, off with ye. I'll take that axe to the wee lass while ye get some rest."

"Thanks, Dad." He nodded, stretching out on a yawn, stumbling up toward his room.

Stoick shook his head, and started out the door, breathing in the fresh morning air, with the hint of a coming rain. The village was already bustling with activity as the villagers went about their daily routines. One in particular caught his eye as she was seen heading toward Gobber's forge. Chuckling, the chief went to meet her there.

Gobber was, of course, still asleep, and Astrid wasn't about to wake the grouchy blacksmith, instead she was peering through the windows in hopes of seeing Hiccup moving about, but to no avail.

"Looking for someone?" Stoick rumbled, startling the young Shieldmaiden.

"Hel!"Astrid spun around, her hand flying to her chest, "Chief, you scared me half to death!"

Stoick chuckled, and showed her her axe, "Perhaps ye have a guilty conscience, eh, lassie?"

"He fixed it!" She cried out happily excepting the axe, marveling at the sheen of the metal. But then she realized how she was acting, and in front of her chief of all people, "Oh, er, thank you, Chief, for delivering my weapon to me...you really didn't have to - "

"I think ye'll find that I did," he chuckled, smiling down at the girl, "The lad was up all night fixing that. He only just stumbled home a few minutes ago."

"Oh..." now she _did_ look guilty.

Stoick patted her on the shoulder, "Lass, ye should'nae worry about it." He said, "It was his own doing. And I understand why he did it." He said, giving her a wink.

Astrid blushed, "You should hurry up, and find him a wife." She mumbled.

" _Before_ , or _after_ he kills that Skrill ye want?" Stoick laughed as the girl blushed like a stewed beet. "Oh, yes, lass, we all heard what ye told Snotlout, and he's got it into his head now that _anyone_ that takes down a Skrill gets to be yer husband."

Astrid groaned, "I _thought_ I made myself clear!"

"Not for a Jorgenson," Stoick said, "Even his father doesn't know how to take a hint." He looked up as thunder roared over head, "Hm, looks like we'll be getting some rain in a few minutes...lovely day for a treaty to be sign...ah, Astrid, could I ask you to go get Hiccup? I know I wanted him to get some sleep, but I can just make out some sails on the horizon." He said, pointing out to sea. "See if you can get him to eat some breakfast, and then bring him over to Flay's house. She should be finished with his new clothes for the meeting."

"Yes, Sir," Astrid smiled, and scampered off, her axe bouncing on her back.

Stoick chuckled once more, "Maybe he can convince her to nix the Skrill idea?" He wondered aloud as anothr loud rumble sounded overhead, "Blasted weather." He said, feeling the first drops of rain hitting his helmet.

The clouds above the isle darkened to near black as lightning began to flash within them. A lite drizzle began, misting over the isle like a blanket. No wind blew, not even a breeze.

To Stoick, something didn't feel right. But he had other things to worry about. If the storm turned bad, then at least they could run to the Great Hall for shelter, but at the moment, he had to deal with a treaty with one of the craziest tribe aside from the Lava-Louts. He only prayed that Hiccup could stay awake long enough to dodge the first blade Dagur threw at him.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was still awake.

Instead of going to bed as he had wanted, he had opted for cleaning up first. His father had been lucky enough when repairing their house once to tap into a natural hot spring, providing them with a rare treat: a hot bath.

It was one of the few things Hiccup enjoyed about their island. Soaking in the tubs of spring water always helped melt away the aches and pains caused by the forge. Washing the soot and grime away had taken little to no time at all with a good scrubbing, and now he was just enjoying the hot water.

"Hiccup?" Astrid's voice called out from the front door.

The young man jumped, startled, "ASTRID!?"

"Where _are_ you?" She called out. Her voice sounded closer.

Hiccup scrambled out of the tub, and grabbed a woolen robe from the wall hooks. "J-Just a minute! I'm not decent!"

"Okay, but your father wants you down at Flay's so she can fit your new clothes for the meeting." He heard her call out, now she was just outside the door. "Why is there steam coming out of the door frame?"

"It's a hot spring," Hiccup called out, smiling as he pulled on a clean pair of britches, and tunic. "Dad found it after that Monstrous Nightmare set the house on fire two years ago."

"Oh," she said, nodding from the other side of the door, "Um, Hiccup?"

"Yeah?" The door opened, revealing the teen blacksmith in his fresh clothing, his hair still damp.

She held up her axe, "Thank _so_ much for this," she said, her cheek tinting pink, "I've never had a weapon this nice before."

Hiccup smiled at her, "Like I said, _anything_ for you, m'lady."

Before she could respond, a tremendous crash of thunder and lighting sounded, causing the whole house to shake. "Thor's hammer, what's going on!?"

Then there came the all too familiar sound of the Raid signal.

"Dragons!" Hiccup yelled, pelting for the door, and scooping up his boots as he went. "I need to get to the forge," he told her as he pulled the boots on. "Can you tell Dad where I am?"

"Yeah, just be careful," she said, pelting after him, looking up at the skies as they ran, "This is the first time they've attacked in daylight!"

Hiccup would've agreed...but as they ran, there wasn't a sign of a dragon. " _Where_ are they?"

Astrid found it strange as well. Usually there was utter chaos whenever the dragons attacked. Now, the skies were free of dragons, but the villagers were all on the defensive. Whatever was happening, it had to be something different.

"Look out!" Hiccup roared, and tackled her to the ground as a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground where she'd been standing. Astrid looked back in shock at the smoldering ground behind them, and the man that had his arm over her protectively, also looking stunned. "What in the name of - ?!"

A piercing roar shook the air as the sky lit up with lightning.

Astrid's breath caught in her throat. She had heard stories of the beast, but she'd never seen one before, and she never wanted to either. With lightning sparking all over its body, the Skrill was something straight out of her nightmares. Those wicked spines and barbed tail made the medium-sized dragon look like a demon straight from legend.

Hiccup looked at her, and gave a shaky grin, "So I have to kill _that_ to get you to marry me?"

"Not the time, Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, and got him up from the ground, "Come on! We can't fight that thing!"

The Skrill roared again, diving toward the village as the warriors fired nets and bolas in attempts to bring the dragon down. Hiccup and Astrid made for the forge. And the Skrill let loose a blast of lightning toward the village.

The two of them dove to the ground again, the blast hitting dangerously close, rolling them against the side of a building. Astrid's ears were ringing loudly, her vision blurred. She saw Hiccup trying to stand, talking to her, but she couldn't hear him. He was trying to pull her up.

"...str...he...me...Astrid!" Hiccup yelled.

"Wh-what happened?" She asked, finding her voice, "Where's the Skrill?"

"Landed somewhere in the village," Hiccup said, smiling in relief in finding that she was alright. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Astrid frowned and staggered to her feet, "N-no, I-I need to help," she stammered, her legs shaking. Was this fear? "I wished for that thing! This is my fault!"

Hiccup scoffed, and hoist her over his shoulder, "Don't be stupid! That's Snotlout's job!" He yelled, and ran for the forge, depositing her inside, and grabbing a shield and rusty sword from one of his tables, "You stay here and get your bearings. I need to find Dad and help anyway I can."

Her eyes flew open and grabbed at his arm, "Hiccup, please, don't go near that thing!" She said, shaking her head, "I didn't mean it, about the Skrill, or anything! Just please -!"

"Hey," He leaned down, looking her in the eyes, "I'm just gonna go back up my dad. Nothing more." He smiled, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head, "I'll be back before you know it."

She kept hold of his arm and forced her axe into his hands, "Take this with you," she said, "I owe you that much."

Not willing to argue, he nodded, and left the forge, dashing through the village in search of his father, or Gobber, who he hadn't seen yet. There was a loud commotion coming from the storehouses, as well as sparks of electricity shooting off in different directions. Smoke filled the air as he ran passed ruined houses, and injured villagers. He tried not to look to see who was still alive, not willing to see it for himself. He just had to get to his father.

Then he heard it, his father's war cry. And the roar of the Skrill. There was an explosion, and smoke billowed up in front of him. One of the storehouses was on fire. He ran forward again, despite the smoke, and nearly tripped over the debris caused by the blast.

Jumping out of the smoke, and into the clear, Hiccup saw his father on the ground, the Skrill mere feet away from him, its teeth sparking with its deadly attack.

"DAD!" Hiccup yelled, rushing forward, which gained the dragon's attention. The Skrill hissed at him as he advanced.

Stoick saw him, and paled, "Hiccup, no!"

The Skrill lunged for him. He rolled underneath the creature, only to get caught by the barbed tail, slicing right into his left shoulder. He was thrown across the clearing. The dragon then turned its attention back to the larger quarry in front of it. After all, the one it had just dealt with was small, and had little meat on it. While it preferred mutton, a Viking as large as Stoick would feed it for a few days while it followed the storms.

It prepared to fire its breath attack, and let loose.

Stoick closed his eyes. He heard the explosion, but felt nothing, and smelled the stench of scorched flesh, and burnt wood. And then a small body fell against his. His eyes coming open, he found the small body of his son, sprawled out against him, his shield splintered, his hair standing on end, and his body smoldering. "Hi-Hiccup!"

The Skrill was not happy that its shot had missed. But now it had a problem. The storm was leaving. It was time to go. The dragon lept into the air with a sweep of its wings, and snatched up a young yak in passing, determined to have a meal before moving off with the storm to follow the lightning.

=x=

Astrid staggered out of the forge, blinded for a moment as the sun cut through the clouds. In the distance she could hear the retreating cries of the Skrill. The villagers were already starting to clean up the ruin left by the beast. Bodies were carried away to Gothi, hopefully for healing. Others were moving about to put out fires, and clear away the debris.

She didn't see any of her friends, nor did she see Hiccup, or any of the elders.

She the spotted Phlegma the Fierce rushing toward the square. She heard shouts and cries as a large crowd gathered. The unmistakable horned helmet of Stoick came into view. With him was Gobber, looking worn out, and devastated. It didn't click to see either man looking so forlorn until she saw what Stoick was carrying. Wrapped in his bear skin cloak was Hiccup.

"No... _no_..." Her feet seemed to move on their own, carrying her forward. "You said...you'd be back..."

"Astrid!" Ruffnut yelled, coming up behind her, "Hey, snap out of it!" She yelled, "He's _alive_ , okay! Gothi already had a look at him."

Astrid shook herself out of her stupor, looking at her friend, "She did?"

"Yeah, she said he'd be fine after a little rest," the younger woman said, "Lucky for him, his shield caught most of the blast when he jumped in front of the chief." She said, sighing, "But man it was close! That damned dragon nearly got both of them if the storm hadn't let up."

"You mean it got away?" Astrid asked.

"Ran off as soon as the storm started passing over." Ruffnut nodded, frowning, "But this is bad, Oswald and the Berserks are docking right now. Oswald won't be a problem, but if that nutjob, Dagur, starts running his mouth, then we might be in trouble."

"He thinks of Hiccup as a brother, though," Astrid said, "If anything, he might want to hunt that Skrill down for this."

Ruffnut looked at her, "Astrid, honey, they don't call him deranged for nothing." She said, "Now, let's go see how Hiccup's doing, huh?"

* * *

 _ **Yes, Hiccup is older than he was in cannon, yes Toothless will appear, and yes, that Skrill will be back. Now here's a head's up because I'm going to be using some Skyrim weapons and armor in this fic, like Astrid's new axe, which is a Steel Battleaxe from said game. We'll see some changes other than timeline in this story soon. Like next chapter if this takes off. So, don't be mean, and tell me what you think.**_

 _ **Love it? Hate it? Give it to me!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A very nice turn out for the first chapter, and thanks to all who did review, really. Now, to change things up, since I'm using Skyrim weaponry, the metals of Ebony, and Quick Silver will be produced via Gronkle in much the same way Gronkle Iron was produced by eating certain minerals. The Changewing acid quench in the previous chapter is actually possible seeing as doing so with real metals actually makes them harder than normal oil quenching.**_

 _ **2: Blood Brothers**_

* * *

Chieftan Oswald the Agreeable had only been a mile out when the storm had passed over the village of Berk, and the roar of the Skrill had cut across the waves. Now smoke rose over the village, shouts and cries heard over the crash of the waves against this ships. As the made it to dock, he noted that his eldest had been unusually quiet throughout the entire event. Now, as they disembarked the ship, the young Berserker looked around, expecting to see his Brother, but there was no sign of him, nor was there any sign of Oswald's old friend, Stoick.

"One dragon did all of this?" Dagur said, his voice pitched high, and somewhat excited.

Oswald looked at his heir and sighed, "Ye've never seen the damage a Skrill can do, have ye, son?"

Dagur shook his head, "The Skrill is on our family's crest, though, so this would make a perfect hunt." The young man grinned, and his father, though he silently agreed with him, could only sigh. While he had been passed by with the gene, as had his daughter, Dagur seemed to get both of their shares of the berserker gene.

"Oswald," the man looked up and saw the large rotund Gobber hobbling toward them, "So glad ye made into port safely. Right mess that damned dragon made this morn."

Oswald smiled in greeting to the blacksmith, "Gobber, it's good to see ye have'nae changed," he said, observing the village, "Was the beast dealt with?"

"Nay, the blasted critter flew away with the storm," Gobber shook his head, spitting on the ground, "But ye can be sure it'll be back. They be vengeful dragons, Skrills are."

Oswald nodded, "Aye, that they are. Speaking of vengeful, where is Stoick?" He asked, looking around the village to try and spot him, "I would've thought he'd be here to greet us?"

"Eeh," Gobber looked down, rubbing the back of his neck with his remaining hand, "T'is not been a good morning. What with the Skrill attack and all...but to make matters worse...well, it's the chief's son."

"What about my brother?" Dagur asked, becoming interested at last.

"Has he been hurt?" Oswald asked, also concerned.

Gobber nodded sadly, "Jumped in front o' the beast to protect his da he did, and took a hit from a barb on its tail, too."

Dagur looked shocked, "But...he's never done something like that before!"

"Aye, we were all surprised," Gobber said, "But the lad's been surprising us all of late. Even punched that snot-nosed whelp of Spitlout's."

Dagur didn't care about that, "Is he gonna be alright?"

Gobber just shrugged, " I doona know, lad, but Gothi seems to think he'll be fine with rest." He gestured for them to follow him, "Come on, I'll take ye both up to the big house to meet with Stoick. He'll want to know ye're here."

"Lead the way, then," Oswald said, following after the blacksmith, taking in the damage as they went. "How bad was the attack?"

"If this were a great many dragons?" Gobber said as they passed by a group of men and women digging through the remains of a collapsed house, "This would actually be a lite raid...but one dragon did all o' this...and it verra nearly killed our chief."

Dagur's hands balled into fists, "Instead it nearly took my Brother from me," he snarled, his voice becoming higher in pitch, which Oswald knew was a sign of his madness coming to the forefront. "I wanna track it down and rip its wings off!"

"Easy, son," Oswald placed a calming hand on the young man's shoulder, "Ye'll get yer chance, that much is for sure." He said, looking at Gobber, "Once a Skrill's taken an area as its territory, it will come back again to chase off any invaders. Ye should be careful in the days to come."

Gobber was silent for the rest of the trip up to the chief's home where a gathering of the villagers had begun. Phlegma the Fierce saw the group coming and went up to Gobber, "Now might no' be the best time, Gob." She said sadly, "Gothi's pain remedies 'ave near put the lad out."

"The lad's asleep?"

Phlegma shook her head, "No, no' yet, but he's been babbling nonstop like a drunk," her lips gave a twitch, "Rather funny, really. Thought Ruffnut was Snotlout, and Snot lout was - "

"Astrid?" Gobber chuckled, arching the left side of his brow, and patted her on the shoulder, "It does'nae matter, Phleg, we're needin' to see the chief."

Phlegma nodded and made room for them to pass.

The moment they entered the house, though, it was to the sound of laughter. Mad laughter the like Oswald had only heard from his son whenever his rage had taken him over. And there was also singing, high-pitched and reedy, a voice obviously not fit for singing.

Gobber nearly guffawed over the whole thing when he saw Hiccup sprawled out on a bench in front of the hearth, kicking his legs to his own singing while Stoick just stood by shaking his head at his son's antics.

All in all, aside from the out of character behavior, Hiccup looked fine, even though his shoulder was heavily bandaged with evidence of blood leaking through.

"Lemme guess," Gobber said, gesturing at the happily singing boy, "Fermented yak's milk, a touch o' Fire fern, and some honeyed mead?"

Stoick sighed, "How did ye guess?"

"Another story for another time," Gobber laughed, stepping aside to let their guests in, "Presenting Chieftain Oswald the Agreeable, and his eldest son and heir, Dagur the Deranged."

"BROTHER!" Hiccupt roared, sitting up drunkenly, "HOW'RE YA, YA WEASEL-FACE BASTARD?!"

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled, shocked, but Dagur only laughed and entered the room with a beaming grin on his face.

"Better than you are, Brother," he said, and sat down next to him, "Heard you tangled with a Skrill, and came out sparking like the left head of a Zippleback."

"Oh, yesh, my 'air was shtickin' out like a por-a porky-er, hedgehog." Hiccup laughed, "Shay, Dagur, ya know about Shkrills, right?"

"That's right," Dagur nodded, proudly tapping his left shoulder pauldron, "Family's famous for killing 'em, you know?"

"Thatsh grrrreat," he slurred, "C-cause you wanna know shomethin'?" He leaned close to the Berserker, smiling, "Ashtrid says she's gonna marry the pershon that kills a Shkrill, sho I gotta -"

"What you need to do is go back to sleep," Astrid herself said, coming out of the kitchen, huffing, "How long is he gonna be like this?"

Gobber and Oswald, who had been laughing themselves silly at the whole thing just grinned, "Well, if I know anything 'bout Gothi's concoctions, he ought tae be passin' out any time no- oops, there 'e goes!" Gobber laughed as Hiccup keeled over, nearly falling off the bench if Stoick hadn't reached out and stopped him, "Those potions o' her's are good, but beards of Thor is he goin' tae have a headache when he wakes up again."

Stoick sighed, and looked at his fellow chief, "I'm truly sorry about this, Oswald," he sighed, "T'is been a Hel of a morning, even without my son bein' practically drunk."

Oswald just smiled at the larger man, being a foot or two shorter than the Berkian chief, and patted his shoulder, "In all honesty, Stoick, I'd like tae offer me help," he said, gesturing toward his son, who was poking at the sleeping heir of Berk while Astrid was dabbing his face with a cloth, and shooing the other teen away while she worked, "Me son and I came with about a dozen or son good men, an' it seems tae me that ye could use the extra hands."

Stoick nodded his thanks, "That would be a great help, Oswald, truly it would," he sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "This was a close call, Oswald, too close. I nearly lost him, this time."

"Let's speak outside," the Berserker chief said, gesturing to the young man and the girl tending to him, "The youngsters don't want to hear the ramblings of old me like us."

Stoick nodded, taking the hint. Dangur was still volatile enough that he might fly off the handle if he was too worked up from the talk of the attack.

The two chieftains stepped out of the house while the crowd demanded to know how his son was, and, while assured them he would be fine, there was still great worry thickening the air about the village.

"How many did ye lose?" Oswald asked, looking out across the village.

Stoick sighed, gesturing to the ruins of a few houses, "Ten good Vikings went down tryin' tae fight that monster," he relented, remembering all the forlorn cries of wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and children when the dead were taken to be made ready for the funeral. "It didn't go near the storehouses, but we did lose one because of its breath." He shook his head sadly, "I doona know what tae do anymore, Oswald. Without that other storehouse, we'll need to rebuild it from the ground up, and then spend months trying to fill it while little ones go hungry, and tae make matters worse, I nearly lost my son."

"I heard tale that he lept right in front o' ye to keep that thing away."

"That he did," Stoick nodded, "I was downed from an explosion caused by that devil, lost my weapon, my shield, and the Skrill was about tae be on me. And then who should jump to my defense but my only child." He shook his head once more, "Gods I've never been so scared in me life!"

The smaller man gave a nod of his head in understanding, "Aye, a thing like that would give anyone a fright." He said, and gave the man a knock in the side, "But with such an attack, one must be strong. Ye've still go' yer son with ye, and now ye must look tae yer people." He turned and looked out across the village, his eyes on the ocean. "The currents bring a warmth this year," he said, gaining the chief's attention, "The whales will come, and ye know what that means."

"Aye, a great hunt for all of the tribes," he nodded, smiling somewhat with his spirits rising. Dangerous as it was, hunting down a large bull whale would provide enough food for a village for months, and his village had enough ships to bring in more than one of the water giants.

Oswald nodded thoughtfully. It had been nearly a decade since the waters brought a warm current through the archipelago, bringing with it the only other creatures in the world that rivaled dragons in size. The whales of the great seas were as elusive as they were large, traveling around the world in great herds called pods, as many as one hundred in a single group at a type.

But the beasts not only brought with them the promise of meat should one of the villages manage to take one, but the danger of a dragon as well. The Luminous Krayfin was one of the largest species of dragons ever seen. A gargantuan beast that lived exclusively in water, resembling a giant sea turtle. It was said to feed on fish, but the beasts were sometimes seen feeding on whale carcasses killed while on the hunt.

If the hunt attracted even a small member of the species, larger beasts were certain to come at the beckon call of their brethren in hopes of a meal of whale meat.

But the Vikings of the archipelago often hunted in large fleets when the seasons finally came that the whales returned to their waters, all of them working together to herd the animals into a killing zone.

"What have ye heard from the other tribes?" Stoick found himself asking, hoping the others were doing decently.

Oswald sighed, "When last we came together, the other tribes seemed just the same as always, though since Berk is always attacked more often than the rest of us, Berk seems to be the mightier village in their eyes." He said with a hint of envy, "I have'nae heard anything from the Lava-louts, though. They keep mostly to themselves. Ye know that, though, don't ye?"

Stoick nodded, frowning. His last meeting with their chieftain, one Olaf One-Brow, a giant of a Viking, even larger than himself, had not ended well. The tribe had always been at odds with others, but as far back as he could remember, the Lava-louts had wanted the Hooligan tribe dead.

"What else is new?" He asked sarcastically, "When do ye think the whales will come?"

Oswald smiled a crinkly old smile, showing his age, "When last they came the sea was so calm it looked to be glass," he said, smiling fondly, "You remember, do ye not? The water became a little warmer, and tasted of fresh pine, and turned green with life. Little shrimps filled the water to feed within the green, which is what brought the whales, ah, Stoick, my young friend, those were days to be remembered."

Stoick chuckled, fingering his greying beard, "Not so young anymore, Oswald," he said, smiling, "But aye, those were good days. There was always plenty of food to go around, whether or not the dragons raided us. But they were always to short, weren't they?"

"Aye, that they were." He said, turning to the man beside him, "Once out business is concluded, I intend to leave me son in command," he said, giving the man a look, "I feel me time coming."

Stoick turned to the man sharply, "Ah, now, Oswald, don' go sayin' things like that!" He said hastily, "Ye've still got another ten years left, I'm sure!"

But the aging Viking chieftain shook his head, "No, I'm afraid not." He said, raising his wrinkled hands, "Last year, these hands of mine were as strong as steel, yet now I can barely lift me sword...each day they become harder and harder to use. The bone-ache takes many in my tribe, and sooner or later, it takes them all to Asgard."

"Dagur will be sad to see ye gone," Stoick said, thinking of the boy with some pity, "T'is never easy on a child to lose a parent."

"He will have Heather to keep him in line," the man said, smiling fondly at the thought of his daughter, "T'is a shame, really, since that lad o' yer's seems to fancy that wee lass, Astrid," he said, "Perhaps if he felt differently, our children could have been a true bridge between our two tribes."

Stoick nodded, "Astrid is a good girl, though I doubt I have to tell anyone that," he said, "But Hiccup will certainly have his hands full with a girl like her. What without a family and all, she thinks the only way to honor her family is to remain pure as a Shield Maiden."

Oswald chuckled, "Do not let her meet Big-Boobied Bertha, then," he cackled, "each one of her warriors is a Shield Maiden, but none of them have had any trouble finding a man to give them what they needed to produce the next generation of those mad women."

=x=

Oswald the Agreeable was as good as his word with his offer to help. Dagur and the twelve armed men and women they had brought along as their Honor Guard set about helping with the repairs to the village, starting with rebuilding the lost storehouse while Spitelout led a hunting party out into the wilderness to stock up on meat. Deer were scarce around Berk unless they traveled to a different island, but there were plenty of wild boars, and goats to be hunted, as well as the occasional seal that sunned itself on the beach.

Phlegma the Fierce took the boats out for a fishing run, hauling in huge nets full of the sea's bounty, while the few women and children that weren't warriors scoured the beaches for clams and other shellfish that might lay below the sands.

There were very few dragons on the isle of Berk, save for a few species of land-bound beasts that need to be avoided because they traveled in large packs, as well as wolves.

It was just before dusk that the potion Hiccup was forced to drink wore off, causing his shoulder to flare up in pain, which woke him. He sat up with a groan, clutching at his shoulder, which had been cleaned and wrapped in fresh bandages. His groan was cut short as a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, pushing him back down on the bench, "You shouldn't move around too much," Astrid said from beside him, "You've lost a lot of blood."

Hiccup would have responded, but the throbbing headache he felt pounding behind his eyes kept him from doing anything else except release another groan. He felt as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of cotton, while his tongue felt like it was caked in mud. "Ugh..."

Astrid giggled, "That's kind of what everyone says when Gothi makes them drink those potions of hers," she said, and he felt a cool moist cloth dabbing at his face, "How are you feeling?"

Hiccup smacked his lips and sighed, "Well, if I remember correctly, I jumped between my dad and an evil, lightning-shooting dragon," he said, "So I guess, since I'm alive, I should feel pretty good, besides the headache, and the pain in my shoulder."

"Good," she then promptly punching him in the gut, albeit not a hard punch, but even when she was being gentle, Astrid was not a soft hitter. "That's for scaring me!"

"OW!" Hiccup groaned, clutching at his stomach, "Jeez, at least I made it out alive, ri - " He was caught off guard as Astrid leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly against his own.

She drew back slowly, letting her lips linger for a moment before tucking her hair back, blushing furiously, "That's...for everything else." She rose from his side, and went for the the door, "I should go find the chief, he'll want to know you're awake."

As the door to his home closed, blocking the girl from his sight, Hiccup found himself touching his lips where she'd kissed him. He shook his head, frowning, and rolled to his unsteady feet, scrubbing at his face with his hands, "Gods, what's wrong with me?" He wondered out loud, "The girl I've been in love with since I was ten kisses me, and I freeze up like a...a Hiccup...great." He sighed, looking around for his tunic, and finding it over the edge of the bench.

He stumbled to his feet, and pulled the piece of clothing on just as the door burst open. "Hiccup!" Stoick roared at the sight of his son on his feet, "Thor's hammer, boy, ye gave me a fright!" He rushed forward, grabbing up his son in a bone crushing hug that made the young man's shoulder blaze with pain.

"GAH!"

"Oh, sorry," Stoick hurriedly set him back on his feet as the boy rubbed his shoulder, "Ah, Hiccup, ye are, without any doubt, just like yer mother." He smiled, "I've never been so proud of ye! Ye've got the heart of chief!"

Hiccup looked up at his father, "Well, I couldn't let it kill you," he said, mumbling bashfully, "What kind of son would I be?"

"Not a verra good one, that's for sure," the big man said, patting his son's shoulders gently, "But for what ye've done, I'm grateful beyond belief, lad. Whatever I can do to repay that debt, all ye need to do is ask."

Hiccup was about to dismiss the notion, but a sudden thought struck him.

' _I've got nothing I can offer you. No furniture, no dowry, nothing but an old dust ruin of a house that I haven't slept in in years._ '

A plan began to form in the young man's mind. He couldn't help her with much else, but at least he could repair the ruins of her home. "Dad, I'd like your help with something."

Meanwhile...

' _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ ' Astrid cursed herself as he retrieved her axe from the trunk of a tree she was using as target practice, the newly forged blade biting deep into the gigantic fir tree. ' _After I turn him down, I go and kiss him! What wrong with me!_ ' She gave sharp tug on the shaft of her axe, freeing it from the trunk before returning to the spot she had picked out, and hurled it again. It slammed into the tree with a thud, biting just as deep as the first throw.

The area that she was practicing in was a small patch of forest near her former home, the half-burned ruins of her house in plain view. Once upon a time, it had been the finest home in Berk save for the Chieftain's home. Built with a strong quarried stone foundation, with high walls supported by large pillars of wood, while clay and straw had made up the walls.

Her father, Arvak, had planned on having a large family, as such, the house itself was larger than the typical house found in the village. On the west wing were the bedrooms where her parents had slept on a lower level, with a balcony over the top which led into a second story where guests would find beds for the night. The North wing was a storage room where her mother kept all of her bits and bobs for sewing, and her father's tools, while the East wing hosted the kitchen...but no longer.

The kitchen had caved in from a fire, which had spread into the upper level of the house, destroying the secondary story, collapsing it down into the main hall. All that really remained untouched by the damage were the balcony and her parents room. What furniture there had been she had sold, or given away to keep herself fed after her parents' deaths.

She couldn't sleep there, not after what had happened. No, she hadn't seen them burned alive, nor had she even seen what had happened to them. There had been a raid one evening, and she, a little girl no older than five, had run for cover with Ruffnut, while the adults had gone into battle. When it was over, they were simply gone. Vanished into the thin air. No bodies, no blood. Just a fire within her home.

The whispers of the villagers spoke of ill-tidings, saying that malevolent spirits had taken them to leave no trace such as they had. But, years later, the memories of coming home to her burning house still haunted her. She knew what had happened all too well. There was no blood because they hadn't been killed on Berk. They had been taken away by the dragons, of that she had no doubt. To be ripped to pieces and eaten while they could do nothing but scream.

Such thoughts haunted her at night some times, keeping her from sleep. If it weren't for Ruffnut and Tuffnut's family taking her in, she would have never survived. And because of the talk of evils spirits, no one went near her old family home. It made the area around it the perfect place to be alone.

No one would bother her, and with the repairs to the village going on, she needed some place quiet to gather her thoughts over what she had done. Really, she couldn't believe she had done such a thing. Especially when she was determined to remain as she was; a Shield Maiden was sworn to serve her people, no matter the cost to herself. As such a woman who took such a role upon herself remained unmarried so that she could devote her entire being to the ways of the warrior.

She was to be a beacon to the young children, who would someday become warriors just like her, and her Shield Brothers and Sisters on the battlefield. Doing so made her the elder sister of all the younger warriors in training, who would act as substitute for her own children which she would never have.

And yet she had broken a taboo; having feelings for another. Snotlout always flirted with her, so she was used to such things, and ignoring them without much trouble. Fishlegs would try to talk to her, but the boy was so timid that he never really got out what he wanted to say before going off on a tirade about some thing or another. Tuffnut was...well Tuffnut, for lack of better terms. Having grown up in the Thorston home, Ruff and Tuff were more like her knuckle-headed brother and sister.

Hiccup...Hiccup was different than the other boys she knew, few of them as there were her own age. If anything, she expected him, the son of the chief, to be like Snotlout, which she was thankful he was not. In a way, he was kind, and caring, as his father was on occasion. He worked hard in his trade as a blacksmith, and was, in her opinion, the best blacksmith the island had ever seen. He was also a thinker, even though most of his dragon-killing devices never worked, some of them could, if he wanted to tweak them a bit.

But he had a temper, which she approved of, because seeing him finally knock Snotlout down after years of unkind words from the larger boy was worth seeing. And he had done it in her defense as well, which raised him in her eyes. He didn't think like a Viking chieftain, either. It was obvious that he wanted her, as more than a bed-warmer, but he didn't seem to care that she practically homeless, and had no dowry to enrich his family.

She couldn't cook, half the time she tried, her dishes ended up biting back. Nor could she sew. her own clothes were beginning to wear down, which meant she would be chopping firewood for Flay for months to pay for a new set, and the same could be said for Gobber since he and Hiccup were the ones that worked the leather in the village into armor and boots for the people.

She went to retrieve her axe again, and slid down with her back against the tree, sinking to the ground. "What are you doing, Astrid?" She asked of herself, her left hand unconsciously moving to her lips, the feeling of his warm lips lingering over hers even now. It felt nice.

If she were to be honest with herself, she was flattered that Hiccup considered her for a wife, even though she had nothing. But what she had said in the mead hall still rang true. Gossip was something that tended to spread faster than dragon fire over Berk, and she wasn't she could handle what the people would say about her being taken as the future chief's wife.

They would want him to have an advantageous marriage, and there were two young women about the right age in the other tribes; Heather of the Berserker Tribe, and Dagur's younger sister, and then there was the daughter of Big-Boobied Bertha, Camicazi. The two of them had met once before, and she had to admit that she liked the girl. She was a fine warrior, and just as fine a thief.

Both seemed to get a long with Hiccup as well.

"It'd be for the best," she told herself, frown as she tucked her knees against her chest, letting her chin rest on top of them. "Pining after me would only cause trouble later." She sighed, "But I just had to go and open my big mouth about that stupid Skrill!" She buried her face in her knees, thinking back to the horrible attack on the village.

When she had seen the chief carrying the limp form of his son, something in her seemed to shatter. The thought of Hiccup no longer being among them every day had never crossed her mind. Sure there had been jokes all around about the scrawny boy that was meant to be dragon fodder, but he had survived Dragon Training, even though he hadn't been all that good...and that was putting it mildly, but he kept coming back, and trying his damnedest to make his father proud.

But seeing him like that, held in his father's grasp, made him seem so much smaller than he'd ever been. She knew that she had feelings for him the moment he brought it up to her the previous night in the forge, even though he hadn't pressed her for anything. It was driven further home by the fact that he did almost anything for her if she asked, and treated her kindly.

She loved him.

She couldn't be with him, but she loved him all the same. And it could only hurt both of them in the long run if she accepted those feelings, so she would stay away no matter how much she wanted to know what it would be like to be held in this strong arms. To be looked at as someone other than the Shield Maiden, an untouchable warrior. She was used to the looks of the younger men, so lust was something was familiar with. But whe Hiccup looked at her, it was entirely different. The lust was still there, just like every man she'd been courted by, but there was something else in his eyes that overshadowed it. Longing.

"Astrid!" Ruffnut called as she came over the hill from the village, "The chief's ready to deliver the eulogy. He wants everyone down at the harbor."

Astrid nodded, "Alright, I'm coming." She rose up and placed her axe in its holster. "How's the village doing?"

"Good, so far," Ruffnut said, shrugging her shoulders, "The Berserkers just finished with the storehouse, and Spitelout's hunting parties just came back with a good haul of boars, and goats to hang up." She said as they began the walk down to the village.

"Good," she said, "That's good."

Ruffnut looked at her, "Hiccup's down there, too." She said, watching Astrid's reaction. "You know he and Dagur are planning to become Blood Brothers in front of the whole village?"

"He's what?" Astrid asked in amazement, "But that hasn't happened in decades." Two heirs to the cheiftains becoming Blood Brothers was something rare;y done, which also meant that an everlasting treaty between the two tribes was almost a guarantee. If one of them broke the oath of peace, then it would be the other's job to single handedly kill the other so that they were no longer known as brothers.

"I know, right?" Ruff said, shrugging her shoulders, "I think it's crazy. I mean, Dagur's totally nuts half of the time, and Hiccup wants to be his Blood Brother?"

"Well, they did help us when they didn't have to," Astrid said, trying to defend Hiccup's decision. "And it would make our two tribes practically one. They'd be great allies."

Ruffnut just sighed, "If you say so."

=x=

"May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield," Stoick said mournfully as the ships were cast off from the harbor, bearing the fallen of the Skrills rampage, "May they sing your names with love and fury so that we may hear them rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you have all taken your rightful places at the Table of Kings. For many great warriors have fallen this day. Fathers...mothers...and friends."

Beside him his son took up a bow, and handed it to him while the man lit an arrow on fire. He fired it toward the first ship, seeing it strike the deck, and begin to burn. Hiccup was next to fire, his aim straight and true as he ignited a second while Dagur and Oswald fire two more. And now the harbor was ablaze as the ships that carried their loved ones burned.

Stoick had no words to say, save for the shame and regret that was all over his face. He instead turned to his son, who nodded. Taking a dagger from his belt, he sliced open the palm of his left hand and held it out to Dagur. The Berserker heir gave a small smile before repeating the gesture, and clasping their bleeding hands together.

"With this we are of one blood." Hiccup recited.

"Brothers of the blood," Dagur continued.

"As our blood flows as one," Hiccup said.

"So shall our tribes be as one," Dagur finished.

Witnessed by Stoick the Vast, and Oswald the Agreeable, their sons became brothers before the village of Berk. So long as they remained true to their promises toward each other, their villagers would no longer need a treaty. The Berserkers, as long as those of Hiccup's and Dagur's line ruled, were their allies.

The two release each other, and Dagur grinned, stepping forward the embrace his Blood Brother, "When the Skrill returns, we'll hunt it together, Brother mine."

"That's a promise, Brother," Hiccup smiled, "So long as I get the finish it. Marrying Astrid and all, you know?"

Dagur chuckled and nodded, patting his good shoulder, "No promises."

Stoick stepped forward, and smiled at him, "I'm proud o' ye, son." He said, placing his large hand on his shoulder, "This is the way of a chief."

Hiccup shook his head, "It's what's best for the villager, right now." He said, his eyes drifting over the gathered crowd, his eyes searching out Astrid. "When is Johann due to arrive?"

Stoick shrugged, "We have time," he said, smiling, "How are ye goin' to barter for what ye need?"

Hiccup smiled, and shrugged, "I'll think of something," he said, "You know me."

Stoick chuckled, "And that right there is reason enough for me tae worry."

* * *

 _ **Not much happening here, save for the aftermath of the attack. Hiccup and Dagur become Blood Brothers, forming a lasting treaty for their tribes, and Hiccup begins his plans for something concerning Astrid. The Raid is days away, and Hiccup must deal with it while injured. How will things turn out?**_

 _ **Now please be honest about this chapter, because it feels like s snooze fest to me, but the reviews would be greatly appreciated.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**When will we meet Toothless? Not for a little while yet, keep in mind that Hiccup's inventing days are on hold at the moment. Certainly, he'll pick it up again, but only after his determination flares back to life.**_

 _ **Much love for those that reviewed the previous chapter, and for their kind words. Not all of the chapters will be exciting, of course, because I want to develop a romance here.**_

 _ **3: Burn**_

* * *

Hiccup found himself out in the wilderness in early morning light, his shoulder bound, and his arm in a sling. He could use the limb well enough, but the soreness was making his shoulder stiff. Gothi had told him that it would have been best for him not to move it for a time until the soreness passed.

But that was not to be.

The young heir of Berk had plans to put into motion, and for those plans, he would need something to barter with. The isle of Berk was large enough to house a sizable forest, which he planned to use soon enough if things went well. At the moment his little stint into the woods was carrying him toward the Southern beach, where he knew Gronkles were known to feed on the rocks there.

Why would a Gronkle feeding ground interest him one might wonder. The answer was simple, yet it was his own little secret. Gronkles, he had found out, could not digest the traces of metal in the rocks that they ate to keep their hides tough. When their bodies had taken what they needed, the Gronkles spat up the molten metals that sloshed around in their stomachs.

At first, when he'd seen the little quirk of the dragons, he'd been disgusted, but when the glowing red puddles had cooled, Hiccup found himself staring at a piece of silvery metal. At first, because of the color, he had thought it was actual silver, but when he inspected it, he found it to be harder than acid-quenched iron. Taking a sample of the metal back to the forge, he had shaped himself what could have possibly been his finest piece of work aside from the battle axe used by Astrid.

A piece of work he kept on his person at all times, as it happens. It was a simple dagger. No curves, no etchings, or fancy work. But it was sharp. The sharpest he'd ever seen a blade before.

Now Hiccup decided it was time to make use of this unusual bounty before someone else found out about it. When it came to resources, it was finders keepers on Berk. Which is why Hiccup, in his free time, had made himself a little hide-away across the island near his destination. Again, it was nothing fancy. Just a little hut built up on a low-lying cliff he'd put together with whale bones and animal hides he'd picked up here and there.

He even had a small forge there which he used at times when he was experimenting with the strange Gronkle-Iron. There was just one problem with the location. It passed through Speed Stinger territory. Thankfully, the small dragons were nocturnal, and rarely came out in the daylight. And there were few of them on Berk. A small pack of them had taken up residence near Hiccup's cliff hut, but they rarely ventured too close because of his lingering scent.

Aggressive as they were, they were equally as cautious.

Moving quickly through the thick underbrush, Hiccup came out into a clearing he knew that dragons steered clear of. Why, he was unsure, but it meant that he was more than safe. The area was a dumping ground for dragons killed in the arena, which meant the clearing was littered with bones, and hide from slain dragons. Not one to waist resources, Hiccup had scrounged many a dragon skin from the dumping grounds.

' _The scent of their dead must keep them away_ ,' He thought as he continued out, and came out onto the southern beach, keeping himsef hidden in the brush until he was sure there were no Gronkles feeding. Dragons were early risers, many rising with the sun to get what they needed for long flights, or fights waged against the Vikings.

Today, however, even though they were expecting a raid, there wasn't a single dragon in sight. Which he was thankful for, because he could see a great many hardened globs of the precious metals out on the beach. Taking a quick look up at the brightening sky, Hiccup cautiously made his way out onto the beach, pulling a large dragon hide sack from his back and began picking the metal in the sands.

The metals were surprisingly light, and strong when forged right. But he was looking for something special. Something rarely seen on berk.

Gold.

His father had been right. Johann would need to be paid for what he wanted to purchase from the man. And gold was the only thing that could do that. But, frustratingly, most of the metal on the beach was the same iron base he always found. But then something caught his eye. It shone brighter than the silvery ore he had been picking through. It was almost white in its sheen.

Hiccup had never seen it before, but he knew exactly what he was looking at the moment he picked it up. "Silver!" He grinned widely, hastily placing the precious metal in his bag, and looking down for more. There were more, three more to be precise. A small fortune in silver.

Grinning hugely, Hiccup bagged his prize and headed for his hut on the cliffs before the Gronkles came for their feeding. The weight of the bag mad him giddy, feeling at least twelve pounds of it on his shoulders. Enough to get everything he needed.

Berk had little to no money of its own, most of their dealing being in trade alone. But Hiccup had long ago asked Johann what was needed to create coined money. All over which he had built on his own in secret as a surprise for his father. Now, he just needed to get the silver melted down again, and cut into coins to be pressed.

Thankfully he had plenty of Gronkle-Iron to work with.

While he worked in his little forge, hours flew by, and it was near afternoon before he had a small back of silver coins. Each side had a design on it, one the face of a dragon, and the other a sword.(These coins are around the size of silver larp coins.)

He was pleased with his work, and with the result his tools had yielded. He didn't know if he had enough coins at the moment to pay Johann, but perhaps he would have more time.

Instead, tired, hungry, and sore, the young man pocketed his coins, and hurried back to the village, leaving the rest of the silver bounty behind.

=x=

"Where the devil have ye been, boyo!" Gobber roared upon seeing Hiccup enter the forge to see the man working hard, as usual. "I have'nae seen ye all day, and now ye finally decide tae show up?"

Hiccup grinned at the man, "Sorry, Gobber," he said, reaching for the small bag of coins at his belt, "I was busy with a little project of mine. Have a look at this!"

Hiccup was practically glowing with pride when he pulled out one of the coins to show the blacksmith. Gobber, confused for a moment, took the coin between his fingers, looking at it closely. "Beards of Thor, laddie, where did ye find - "

"I made them," Hiccup said proudly, "There was silver on the beach, and I had enough for small fortune!"

Gobber frowned and took a bite out of the coin, "Hm, no trace of tin...and flexible...aye, Hiccup, this is the purest silver I've ever seen!" He chuckled and handed it back to the boy, "I hoped ye have nae told anyone else about this? The beaches will be full o' people looking for the stuff."

Hiccup shook his head, feeling slightly guilty, "No, I haven't even told my dad, really," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I mean, I know I should have, but - "

Gobber held up his hand, "Lad, it's alright. No one could blame ye for keepin' this a secret," he smiled knowingly at the boy, "That's meant for Astrid, isn't?"

"Sort of," Hiccup smiled, "I know I can't expect to use this on the island until everyone has their own money, but Johann will take it, I'm sure."

"That he will," Gobber nodded, chuckling, "Planning tae buy her some pretty dresses, are ye?"

Hiccup blushed, "Well, yes...I mean, no I - "

"Och, lad, take a breath, 'efore ye hurt yerself," Gobber laughed, "I was only foolin'. Besides, I figured ye'd have something else planned." Sidling up to the young man, "Like payin' for some new furnishings from Johann?"

Hiccup nodded, "That's part of the plan," he said, crossing his arms, "That'll be the easy part, the hard part's getting her away from her home long enough for me to make the repairs to her home."

"An' she's always up there," Gobber nodded, "Good house, that one. Arvak was the finest quarry master we'd had. No one's been able tae fill 'is boots since he and Helga were lost. Ye're gonna need a lot o' lumber for that job, ye know?"

"I'll cut it myself," Hiccup said with determination, looking down at his hands, "I may be a weakling compared to the others, but this is the least I can do, especially for her." He smiled sadly, "It might not even convince her that I meant what I said, but at least she'll have something of her own. Something that belongs to her besides her mother's axe."

Gobber nodded, "She may take it the wrong way, but then again, she might not." The old blacksmith said, "I remember her mother had the temper of a dragon on her, especially when took things the wrong way, but ooh, the face she'd make when she found out she was in the wrong!"

"Apple red with her mouth hanging open?" Hiccup asked, remembering Astrid making such a face when she'd thought he'd done something to make a fool out of her, instead it turned out he was trying to help. Back in dragon training, while facing the Nadders they had locked in the arena, one had taken aim at her with its tail spines. Hiccup had rushed in to get Astrid out of the way. But she thought he was trying to take her out of the game, and smacked his shield off of his arm, forcing him to take the Nadder's paralyzing spines himself instead of letting them hit her.

The look on Astrid's face had been priceless to say the least. Of course, it would have been an entirely different situation if Snotlout hadn't decided to use the paralyzed teen as a bench before Astrid kicked the larger boy off of him.

Gobber laughed, "Aye, that's the look!" He roared, thumping his peg leg on the floor, "So, how are ye goin' tae keep her away from the house long enough to fix it? And just how are ye goin' tae fix it?"

Hiccup sighed, and crossed his arms, "Dad's planning to go looking for the nest again after the next raid. I asked him to take Astrid with him."

Gobber looked a little surprised, "Heh, a wee bit extreme, don'cha think, lad?"

The boy shrugged, throwing his hands up in defeat, "Astrid's way smarter than most of our age group, me included, so she'd know I was up to something right off the dock," he said, "This was the only way for me to work without her finding out and probably trying to stop me." He said, "You know how she is."

"More stubborn than boar in 'is favorite mud hole," Gobber relented, "Aye, ye're right, but then again, who's gonna do the labor? Ye're certainly stronger than ye were at fifteen, what with the growth spurt ye hit last year, but ye cannae haul all o' that lumber up there on yer own, ye know?"

"I'm hoping I can get the miller to help me with that." Hiccup said, "He's got a strong team of oxen to pull the loads up there, but he won't do it for free," He sighed, hefting his little bag of silver again, "Lucky for me I've just come into some money, huh?"

Gobber nodded, "Want some advice?" He asked, pointing his hook at the bag, "Don't coin all o' that silver. Make it intae bullion. Ye won't need tae press it then, just cut it. It'll be faster that way."

"Good idea," Hiccup nodded, "I'll need to work fast if I wanna get this done within the month they'll likely be gone."

"Speaking of fast work," Gobber said, "Snotlout's been looking fer ye. Been talkin' about all the teeth 'e's goin' tae knock out."

Hiccup frowned, "Really? Snotlout's good with a sword, but a fighter he's not!" He groaned, "Just what I need. My hand's still sore from the other night!"

"Here's another bit o' advice," Gobber said, "Don' use your arm for the punch alone, put yer shoulder into it and ye'll get more power."

"Right."

Gobber smirked and looked out across the village and hooted, "Here's more advice, get ready tae fight, cause here comes Snotlout."

Hiccup whipped around, and, sure enough, there was Snotlout marching toward him, a smirk on his face that showed off his missing tooth. To say the young heir was not in the mood was an understatement. Not when he'd just found a small answer to his problems concerning Astrid.

"Hey, Helpless!" Snotlout roared, "Come on out, and take what's coming to you!"

Hiccup groaned and trudged outside, "Do we really have to do this?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

Snotlout sneered, "Aw, what's the matter, Helpless? You scared?"

"Do us all a favor, and get Gobber to replace that tooth," Hiccup snarked, smirking right back, "You weren't much to look at before, but now...ugh!" He made a disgusted face that made the young man scowl at him.

Snotlout lunged at him, and Hiccup sidestepped, sticking his leg out and tripping the larger boy. Snotlout sprawled out on the ground, his face plowed into the dirt. He scrambled up, and went for him again. This time Hiccup leap-frogged over him, using his hold on the boy's shoulders to push him to the ground again.

By now the brawl had drawn a crowd as Snotlout picked himself up from the ground again. "Will you quit moving around!" The large teen roared.

"No," Hiccup said simply.

Then the larger teen roared and rounded on him with a wild hay-maker. Hiccup ducked down low, and drove his fist into Snotlout's gut. Snotlout hadn't thought to block it, even though he knew the smaller man packed a punch, but not enough to knock the wind out of him. But he was wrong. Snotlout hacked, and groaned as he clutched at his stomach.

Hiccup didn't stop, however, and threw a straight right hook into his face, cracking him right in the nose, and sending him to the ground again. Snotlout groaned and staggered back to his feet. "Are we done, yet?" Hiccup asked, slightly winded. "I don't wanna fight, Snot, never did!"

"Too bad!" The large man roared and whipped around, tackling him to the ground, finally pinning him to the ground, and started pummeling him. Hiccup was thin, and wiry, but all of those years working in the forge had made his body as strong as any Viking. He braced with his legs, and rolled, throwing Snotlout off of him. Hiccup was on his feet in seconds while Snotlout was still picking himself up, and hammered his right cheek, following up with a left to the chin.

Snotlout groaned, staggering to his feet, and struck out, socking Hiccup in the gut. Being the bigger fighter, Snotlout packed a lot of strength behind his blows, which nearly knocked Hiccup back down.

Snotlout wasn't trying to win the fight, though. He just wanted to hurt him.

"G'on, Hiccup!"Gobber yelled, "Knock 'im in the knee!"

Snotlout looked away from the fight toward Gobber, "What's that supposed to -GAH!" While he'd been focused on Gobber, Hiccup had take the advice and slammed his right fist into the side of the larger teen's left knee. Snotlout howled in pain just as Hiccup gave a left hook to his jaw, and sent him sprawling.

"That's enough!" The young blacksmith roared as Snotlout tried to get back to his feet, "We're supposed to be fighting dragons, not each other!"

"So what?" Snotlout snapped, "You're the one that started this!"

"I was only defending my friend," Hiccup snapped right back, "Because fortunately or not, Astrid doesn't want either one of us!" He growled, "She's given up on continuing her family, because once she marries, that's it. No more Hoffersons. Get it?"

Snotlout wiped a line of blood away from his lips, "I'll make her - "

"Do what?" Hiccup snapped angrily, "Don't you get it? If you keep this up, you'll end up hurting her." He said, stepping closer, "And then I'd do more than knock out a tooth!"

Now Snotlout backed off. It wasn't like Helpless Hiccup to puff up to anyone. He was used to him ducking his head down, and backing off, but now he was dealing with someone completely different. And damned if he didn't have a mean punch!

"Well, what can you do?" Snotlout asked, frowning, "You're just as bad as I am!"

Hiccup shook his head, "I don't care if she chooses me or not, because I just want her to be happy," He said, scowling at the larger teen, "You? You just want her because she's pretty. She's just a trophy to you, a notch in your belt."

Snotlout looked confused, "What's wrong with that?"

"What wrong with -?!" Hiccup stammered before hauling back and knocking him square in the chin, and sending him flying, "Everything's wrong with that!" He roared and stormed off, in dire need of a stiff drink.

Gobber chuckled as he watched his apprentice stomping off, and hobbled out to where Snotlout was slowly picking himself up from the ground, "Lad, bit o' advice, keep tangling with me apprentice, and next time, 'e might just kill ye." He said, passing the young man by as he paled.

=x=

Dagur found his Blood-Brother in the mead hall knocking back a large tankard, and a plate of mutton. "Saw your fight earlier," he said, taking a seat next to him, "Never thought I'd see the day someone put Snotlout in his place, let alone for you to be the one that did it." He smiled at him, raising his own mug, "You'd make a fine berserker if you had the madness."

Hiccup huffed, wiping foam away from his lips, "No thanks, Dagur," he sighed, "No offense, but I don't like the idea of flying into a rage at the drop of a needle."

Dagur shrugged, "Think I do?" He asked smiling around his mead, "Berserkers may be strong, but that doesn't mean we want our gift. Some of us are lucky enough not to be born with it, me...not so much. And I can't calm myself like the rest of my tribe can."

Hiccup winced, "Sorry, Dagur. I didn't mean - "

"Forget it," Dagur smiled, waving his apology aside, "So, what'd Snotlout do to get you that mad?"

Hiccup bit into his mutton before answering, "It...had something to do with Astrid."

Dagur nodded in understanding, "That girl your sweet on?" He asked, smiling, "Why not marry her and get it over with?"

Hiccup gave him a look, "Dag, she's dead set on becoming the island's Shield Maiden." Now it was Dagur's turn to wince. He knew what that meant.

"Sorry," he took a long dring from his mug, "So, she's already sworn herself?"

"Not yet," Hiccup sighed, leaning on the table, "And even if she does, I could still convince her...but I don't wanna force her."

Dagur shrugged, "Wish I could help, but I've got no idea how to deal with girls," he sighed, "There isn't anyone back home that'd give me the time of day, let alone enjoy my company, mostly because they're afraid of me."

Hiccup snorted, "She's far from afraid of me, Dagur," he said, "When I brought it up, she said she's not good enough for the chief's son. Me, Hiccup the Helpless, too good for her? Ha!"

Dagur smirked, elbowing him in the side, "Not so Helpless, from what I saw this afternoon, eh?"

Hiccup huffed, "Come on, I barely tapped him!"

"Yak shit," Dagur grinned.

Hiccup chuckled and finished his drink, "So, how do I bring down a Skrill?"

Before Dagur could answer, the sound of a horn blasting sounded. "Is that the warning call?"

"Yeah!" The pair bolted up, "C'mon, we need to get going!"

Dagur looked at him, "Are you fighting?"

"No, I'm needed at the forge," He said, holding up his hand, "Good hunting out there."

"I would say the same to you, Brother," Dagur said, clasping his hand, "Let's go!"

=x=

The raid was bad one. Hiccup had never seen so many dragons attacking at once. And all of them were going for the storehouses. Hiccup never stopped pounding metal that night, not until his injured shoulder screamed at him to stop, forcing him to let Gobber take over. Hiccup went out to help put out the fires that had erupted upon the dragons' arrival.

All in all, the attack wasn't going South, at least not yet. Astrid and his father were chasing many of the beasts away, and, having caught sight of the Shield Maiden, he knew that she'd already bathed her blade in dragon blood.

Hiccup was just throwing another bucket of water over the side of a house when a high-pitched shriek sounded through the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"NIGHT FURY!"

"GET DOWN!"

Hiccup dove to the ground just as a blast hit one of the catapults, destroying it completely. ' _It came back,_ ' the young smith thought, ' _two years it goes away, and now it's back!_ ' The legendary Night Fury of Berk had plagued them two years ago, and Hiccup had stupidly thought he could shoot the thing down in the dark with his mangler, but had missed. The results had been devastating, and utterly embarrassing.

It never stole food, and never landed. It just destroyed, and freed any trapped dragons. In short, it was a menace.

"Olga!" Hiccup looked up to see a woman trying to rush back into a burning house, held back by a man he figured was her husband.

"Nay, Anna, it's too late!" The man roared.

That was enough for Hiccup. He scrambled to his feet and dashed into the house.

The flames were already roaring inside the little home, making it hard for him to see because of the heat while the smoke choked him. "Olga!" He yelled out, "It's Hiccup! Say something!"

There was the sound of coughing near the back of the house, and Hiccup moved further in. The entrance was already blocked by the flames, and his feet were getting scorched the further he went.

His leather armor was beginning to smoke. "Olga!"

"D-down here," He looked at the floor, and saw a tiny hand poking out from under the child's bed. Not waisting any time, he reached down and hauled her out into his arms protectively. The little girl nestled into his chest, "I want my mamma!"

Hiccup nodded, shielding her from the flames, "Don't worry, you'll see her soon, I promise!" He growled, searching for a way out as the house began to groan, the flames weakening the support beams. There was no way out, except the way he'd come, which was now engulfed in flames. "Olga, close your eyes, and hold on tight," he told the little girl, "Don't you dare let go, okay?"

"Okay," the girl whimpered.

His feet burning, Hiccup surged forward into the flames, his eyes on the door. The floor gave way, and he stumbled, rolling across the floor. His hands scrabbled for purchase, searing with heat as he got back to his feet.

"What do ye mean he just rushed in!?" Stoick roared, "Get that fire out, now!" He yelled at the villagers, "Get them out at all costs! Astrid! Get more buckest, Ruff, Tuff, you help her! Snotlout, Fishlegs, get a shovel and start throwin' dirt on - "

Suddenly, a body came hurtling out of the burning home, crashing to the ground. The crying of child was heard over the roar of flames as the little girl rolled out of his grasp. Stoick was both horrified and relieved to see the smoldering form of his son. "WATER! GET WATER NOW!"

"Here!" Dagur came forward with a blacket and covered Hiccup with it while patting out the flames on him, "Easy, Brother, you're alright!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid came running up with a bucket of water in hand, "Dagur, move!" She shouted, throwing the water over the smith.

The villagers crowded around him, asking various questions, "Is he alright?" "Get that armor off of him!" "He's cooked!"

"Give him some air, all of you!" Oswald roared, pushing through the crowd with Gothi in tow.

Gothi tapped her cane on the ground to get their attention, "We must get him to the my hut," she spoke softly, "The boy has breathed too much smoke."

Stoick nodded, "Astrid, ye and Dagur get him to Gothi's hut," he said, "The raid's nearly done with. I can handle things well enough without help. The rest of ye, get these fires out!"

Some time later...

Dawn broke across the isle of Berk once again. Wisps of smoke still drifted through the air as the aftermath of the raid was laid before the people. Stoick, for once, was thankful that there were no casualties. It was mostly minor injuries and property damage. One house had been completely lost. Eric Pretty-Face, and his wife, Anna, whose daughter Hiccup had rescued from the flames, had lost the house shortly after the raid was over, leaving nothing but a burned skeleton of a home.

His son was the only one critically injured.

While he hadn't suffered any lasting damage, his hands were severely burned, and would put him out of work for a long time. Gothi's potions and salves would do him good, but he was forbidden to work in the forge for at least a month, and even then he wasn't allowed any heavy work. His armor had protected his body for the most part, but had nearly cooked him alive as well. He was now feverish from inhaling so much smoke, and heat exposure.

Anna's little girl was better off with only slight burns, having been protected from the flames by the young blacksmith. Eric Pretty-Face had promised to do whatever he needed to repay the debt he now claimed to owe the boy.

"How is he?" Stoick asked as he lumbered into Hiccup's room that evening where Astrid was tending to him.

Astrid smiled a little sadly, "Better," she sighed, "Have the Berserkers left?"

"Aye, they have," he said, leaning against the door frame, watching his son sleep under the influence of Gothi's potions. "Astrid, I know this is a bad time tae say this, but I want ye on the next mission to find the nest with me."

Astrid looked at him sharply, "But I- "

"No buts, Astrid," he sighed, "We've lost too many people, so I'm left with no choice," he said, looking down at his son, "We'll wait until he wakes up tomorrow, and then I'll leave him in charge. That should keep him out of the forge."

Astrid looked from her chief to the sleeping boy next to her, "But I-I can't leave, he'll - "

"Astrid," Stoick stepped forward, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, "Shield Maiden or no' ye cannae protect him forever," he said, frowning, "I thank you for that, and I wish I could repay ye for all the times ye've looked out for him. But if we don't find that nest...we're all going tae starve before Spring."

Astrid clamped her mouth shut, knowing that he was right. The dragons hadn't gotten much food this time around, but there had been so much damage. Once they'd raided Berk, the village had at least a week before the next raid came. And then the dragons would fight twice as hard for food.

"I understand," Astrid sighed, "As a Shield Maiden, I will do what is best for my people, no matter the cost."

Stoick shook his head, "Ah, lassie, I'm no' whiskin' ye off tae yer death," he smiled, looking down at her with knowing eyes, "Hiccup would ne'er forgive me for that."

Astrid had the decency to blush as she looked away from the chief, her eyes falling to teh sleeping face of the boy. His face was covered in angry red burns that were smeared with healing ointments. His hair, once the same auburn as his father's, was now tinged black and singed. "Why does he go so far to prove himself?"

"Because he wants to be good enough for ye," Stoick said, smiling as she snapped around, "Doona be surprised, lass, I've seen how he looks at ye."

"And you would approve?" Astrid frowned.

Stoick chuckled, "Whether I approve or not matters verra little to him, Astrid." He said, "He's my son, so I do want what's best for him, but I also want him to be happy just as much." With that, the chief left the room, leaving behind his sleeping son, and a very confused Shield Maiden.

* * *

 _ **Not much action in this one either, but meh, it's my first dragon raid. We did get a cameo for Toothless, and a good fist fight with Snotlout, but things will pick up, I promise.**_

 _ **As always, let me know what you think, please.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**This is another cool down chapter.**_

 ** _4:The Shame of Berk_**

* * *

Hiccup groaned, finding himself waking up in his bed once again. He felt like he'd been trampled by a herd of Gronkles, his hands stung like he'd grabbed the wrong end of a Nadder, his shoulder was more stiff than ever, and he smelled like...charcoal!

He sat up, stiffening slightly as his body throbbed. He looked down at his hands and found them wrapped in bandages. ' _Must've burned them in the house fire last night._ ' He sighed, frowning as he looked at his left shoulder, also finding it bandaged again, with only a small amount of blood leaking through the linen. He moved the fur off of him, and swung his legs out, his feet touching the floor with sharp pain. They were burned as well.

"Hiccup?" Astrid's voice drifted up to him from the lower level of the house, "Are you up?"

Hiccup bit back a snort, "Yeah, I'm awake." He said, and reached for his boots as he heard someone coming up the stairs as Astrid appeared at the door, "Seems like I keep ending up screwing things up, huh"

Astrid came forward, meaning to check his wounds, "Don't start with that again," she said, beginning to unwrap his shoulder. "You should hear everyone talking. They're calling you a hero, now, you know?"

Hiccup tried not to blush as her hands ghosted across his skin, "Why?"

Astrid looked at him sharply, "Hiccup, you saved that little girl's life," she said, sounding shocked, "No one else was willing to do that, but you did. Eric and Ingrid are waiting to thank you, and Stoick's as proud as I've ever seen him." She said, continuing to take the bandages away, "Even Snotlout can't say anything about you right now."

"Give him time, he'll think of something," Hiccup said, which made the girl giggle. "What?"

"You just said Snotlout would _think_ ," she said, grinning at him, taking the bandage away, and revealing the wound on his shoulder. The barb on the Skrill's tail had left a jagged wound that was just beginning to heal thanks to Gothi. "It's looking better." She said, reaching over to a small table in the room where the wise woman had left medicine for the wound, "But I should put more of Gothi's mixture's on it."

Hiccup winced, "Glad I was knocked out when they put that on me the first time," he said, shivering, "That stuff stings worse than Speed Stinger venom."

Astrid giggled again as she dipped her fingers into the small container, "This coming from the guy that jumped in front of a Skrill when it was about to let out a blast, and then ran into a _burning house_ to save a little girl?" She smiled before smearing a small amount of the paste on the boy's shoulder. Hiccup jerked at the sting the medicine brought with it.

"A chief protects his own," Hiccup recited, shaking his head, and trying to ignore that sting, "I wasn't ready to lose my dad, and Eric wasn't ready to lose his little girl."

Astrid shook her head, "You do some of the bravest things I've ever seen, and you still don't think you're a hero," she said, smiling at him as she began to bandage him up again, "Look at you, Hiccup. Your hands are blistered worse than when you work in the forge, and you're scarred up like the men and women that go off looking for the nest."

"Bad luck," Hiccup sighed, rotating his shoulder.

Astrid was silent as she wrapped the bandaging around his chest, sighing, "You...you _scared_ me, you know?" She said, letting her head fall against his shoulder, "When you came flying out of the fire like that, and - "

"Smoking hot?" Hiccup quipped.

Astrid burst into laughter again, "The only reason that's funny is because you smell like a piece of charred peat." She laughed again, sighing, her mood becoming somber, "Stoick ordered me to accompany him on the next voyage into Helheim's Gate," she said, the laughter gone from her voice.

Hiccup looked at her, seeing worry on her face. "It'll be your first time off Berk, won't it?" He asked, smiling a little, "Dad'll have the best warrior on the island with him."

Astrid didn't seem pleased by the compliment, "I'm needed _here_." She said, frowning, "What if another raid hits before we come back, or-or if the Skrill comes again? You'll need me here t-"

"Hey," he reached up and took her hand, "We can get by for a little while without Berk's Valkyrie." He said, making her blush, "If Dad asked you to come, then he needs you, and so does the rest of Berk. Just not here."

"What about you, though?" She asked, looking down at their hands, blushing.

Hiccup chuckled at her, "Well, it's true that I'll miss you like crazy, but I'll live." He said.

"You'd better," Astrid warned him, leaning on his shoulder again. "You're going to be chief someday, so you need to live, and find a wife to carry on the line."

Hiccup smirked, slowly putting his arm around her, drawing her close to him, "What about the girl right beside me?" He asked, making her shake her head, "Astrid, I - "

"Please don't," she shook her head again, "I've already told you we can't."

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah, right, not until I kill a Skrill, sorry, I forgot."

He chuckled when Astrid sat up and swatted his shoulder, "That's _not_ what I mean!" She snapped, "Hiccup, I've already told you! I can't marry!" She stood up, looking him in the eyes, "I have nothing that anyone could want. And even if I did somehow marry, it'd be the lowest of the low! Someone of Mildew's level!"

Hiccup scowled at her, and stood to his feet, towering over her, "Don't _ever_ compare yourself to that old troublemaker," he growled, "And I don't want to marry anyone else, Astrid!"

"You have to!" She said, starting to get angry, "As long as you're the heir, then you have to have an advantageous marriage!"

"Then I'll renounce my heritage!" Hiccup snapped, "If being a _Hadock_ means I can't marry the one woman I love, then I don't want _any_ part of being the chief!"

Astrid looked at him, shocked, before looking out the door and scowling at him, "You should watch what you say!" She snapped, "If someone like Snotlout, or Mildew had heard you say that -"

" _Let_ them hear!" Hiccup shouted louder, "I won't change my mind Astrid, I _can't_!" He said, reaching up to move a lock of her hair out of her face, making her shiver slightly as his fingers brushed against her cheek, "Astrid what do I have to say to make you believe me?"

Astrid leaned away from his touch, "It's...it's not that I _don't_ believe you, Hiccup," she said, frowning as she tucked the stray lock behind her ear, "Really, it makes me pretty happy to know someone feels that way about me instead of looking at me like I'd be a quick plough."

Hiccup chuckled, "I pity to poor sod that tries something like _that_ ," he said, making her smile a little bit.

"But you know I'm right," Astrid continued, "You are what's best for Berk's future. Snotlout and Tuffnut aren't smart enough to lead a village, and Fishlegs...well, he's nice and all, but he's no leader." She shook her head, "And if we were to be married, I'd be looked at with more disdain than Mildew, and you'd...you'd be a laughing stock again...and you worked so hard to make people see - " She stilled as his hand came up to cup her cheek, making her look at him as that familiar warm and tender smile he always held back for her came to his face.

"I don't care about any of that," he told her, leaning his forehead against her own, "You could be Mildew's _granddaughter_ , but as long as you're still the same Astrid I grew up with, then I'd still _love_ you."

Her heart thudded against her ribs almost painfully. He'd said it. He'd actually said it. It was the same feeling she had when the thought of losing him to the Skrill struck her. Already she could feel her cheeks blazing with color with just that simple touch. She leaned into his hand this time, closing her eyes on a small sigh, "Why does it have to be _me_?" She asked, baffled. "Heather and Camicazi are both prettier than me, and both of them come from wealthy families."

"And they're not you," Hiccup laughed, "Heather is sweet, and Camicazi is one of my best friends outside of Berk, but when I think of them, I can't see myself with them that way," he grinned and encircled her with his arms. "You have a beautiful smile when you're playing with the kids around the village, teaching them how to fight, or just paying attention to them. Your eyes always seem to shine whenever you laugh. Whenever you talk, you're always trying to be the voice of reason, whether, or not you're worried about something or someone." He held her against his chest, resting his chin atop her head, "Whenever I see you like that, it's the only time I ever want to make someone a _permanent_ part of my life, Astrid."

Her arms unconsciously rose up to hold him to her, "Hiccup, please, don't do this to me," she pleaded against his chest, "I won't see you dragged down because of me. Not when you've worked so hard all of your life to make people see that you're a better heir than they deserve!"

"I haven't done anything, Astrid," Hiccup admitted, "All of my life, I've been nothing but myself. My dad wanted me to grow into a strong warrior like him, but I didn't. The village wanted me to grow, at least. But the only thing I did was keep being myself. And I'm not about to change."

"But you have changed," Astrid said, drawing back, "The Hiccup _I_ knew wouldn't have _decked_ Snotlout for coming onto me, or-or been so bold as to...tell me you _love_ me..."

Hiccup smiled at that, "Well, maybe I just got tired of being afraid of being laughed at by you," he said, her eyes widening at the admission. "That was it, you know? Every time I was around you, I was so nervous. I wanted to impress you, but I was terrified you'd laugh at me for trying."

Astrid shook her head, her bangs swaying back and forth, "I could _never_ laugh at you for working so hard," she said, "And I don't want to see you laughed at, either. So no, Hiccup, I can't love you...not the way you want."

His arms fell away from her, hanging limply at his sides, bringing forth a chill she hadn't realized was there. He looked...beaten. "What do I have to do?" He asked, not willing to look at her. "All you have to do is ask, and I'll do _anything_ for you, Astrid...you know that."

Astrid's eyes began to fill with tears. "Bring me back my parents," she mumbled, "give me back my home..." With that, she fled out the door, leaving Hiccup on his own.

=x=

Stoick sighed as the ships were made ready to sail.

They had so few left now that they would soon have to start rebuilding again. The Regatta was just around the corner as well, since the dragon raids were due to end for a time during the winter months, they could use that time to sail to Loki Island for some stronger, lighter wood to build their ships. He then looked over at his village, sighing as he saw some of his people picking through the burned remains of their homes.

"This has tae end," he said to himself, frowning.

"Dad?" He turned to see Hiccup coming toward him, "How're the preparations going?"

Stoick smiled at his boy, "As well as can be expected." He said, gesturing to the remaining ships, "I can only hope we find the nest this time. Else we may have to do some raiding of our own to survive the winter."

Hiccup smiled at him, "It won't come to that, Dad," he said, "We'll figure something out."

Stoick nodded, "I know we will, son, I just worry is all," he said, "Speaking of worry, lad, ye had us all worried. Little Olga was frantic about 'Uncle Hiccup' this morning."

Hiccup blushed, "Don't remind me," he groaned, "Eric and Ingrid just named her _godfather_."

Stoick laughed heartily, "Ah, lad, ye did somethin' no one else wanted to do, and that's earned ye a great deal of respect throughout the village." he said, looking down his son, noting that he looked somewhat down, "Anyway, Hiccup, I'll be leaving ye as the acting chief while we're away. Won't be many people here, but perhaps ye can get things done with just that many. I'm also leave four smaller ships behind for the whale hunt that's to come. We'll be needin' that meat if things turn sour for us."

"I'll try not to let you down," Hiccup promised, already dreading what was to come, but Stoick just patted his good shoulder.

"Ye've yet yo let me down, son," he said, eyeing the boy, "An' I don't look tae see it happen soon."

Hiccup gave him a small smile, sighing, "Thanks, Dad, that means a lot."

Now Stoick was more than a little suspicious, "Alright, _somethin_ ' obviously happened," he said, clapping the boy on the back, and knocking the wind out of him, "Let's have it."

Hiccup steadied himself from his father's clout, "R-really, Dad, it's nothing," he assured him, though the large man did not look convinced. "A-alright, I sort of...had a _talk_ with Astrid."

Stoick hummed in understanding, "Did'nae go all that well from the look o' ye," he noted, frowning, "What happened?"

"Rejected again, big time," the boy sighed, crossing his arms, "I asked her what I had to do to prove myself, but she asked the impossible."

"Bringin' back her family an' her home," Stoick guessed, nodding, "She's still thinkin' o' ye, lad. She cares, she just feels she _cannae_ show it."

Hiccup groaned, "I poured my heart out to her, Dad," the boy said, reaching up to run his hands through his hair, "If I said anymore, I may as well have been talking the _Freya_!"

Stoick chuckled, "Doona worry, lad," he said, placing his arm around his son carefully, "No stone is harder to crack than that of a woman's heart."

"I'll need a pretty big hammer for this one, Dad," Hiccup sighed, "I can repair her home, but she might not take it the right way."

"Are ye doin' it just to make her beholden to ye?"

"Hel no!" Hiccup shouted, "I just want her to have something to her name besides being the best dragon fighter on the island!" He snapped, gesturing wildly, "But Gods is she hard to get! I mean she kissed me yesterday, but now she's...she's treating me like I have the Scourge of Odin!"

Stoick sputtered, "Ah, lad, don' go sayin' somethin' like _that_!" Stoick laughed, "If Mildew heard ye, I'd never hear the end of it until I shipped ye off!" He said, sighing as he looked over the ships tied to the docks, "Ye have tae understand, Hiccup, that the Hoffersons were, and always have been, a heavily traditional family. Astrid, young as she was, had it pounded into her head as a child, and even I could'nae change her mind, unless I had a marriage contract when ye were both still small. Now that I see how much pain ye're both in, I wish I had."

Hiccup sighed as well, smiling up at his father, "It's nothing I can't handle, Dad," he said, "It...it just _hurts_...the way she said it, she didn't want to say no, but she kept going on and on about being poor and homeless, it's ridiculous! I don't care about wealth, fame or glory. I just want her in my life; is that _really_ so bad?"

Stoick smiled approvingly, "Tae some, those things ye just said mean as much as a mountain o' gold, or even their lives. Fame never dies, Hiccup." He said, looking back out to sea, "Many a warrior will be remembered just by name alone because of their deeds. Whether or not they did good, or evil during their days, their fame will endure as a beacon to others. To follow in their path, or not is completely up tae those that know of their deeds."

"And Shield Maidens are honored above all other warriors," Hiccup sighed.

"Aye, that they are," Stoick relented, "For they make a great sacrifice, save for the Valkyries of the Bog-Burglar tribe, they swear off all the vices of the world, all its pleasures, and refuse tae marry for the sake of remaining pure so that they may become true Valkyries when their time in this realm is done."

"She'll die _alone_ ," Hiccup translated, shaking his head, "I don't want that, Dad. She already has no family here, and the family she does have is so far off that she'll never see them."

Stoick sighed, smiling down at the boy once more, "Would ye like some advice?" He asked, smiling as his son nodded vigorously, "Don't stop being yerself. Valka was much the same as Astrid when we were young. Alone, no family, nor wealth, but Gods I loved that woman," he said, sighing at the memory of his late wife, "She wanted tae remain as she was, yet, I could'nae live without her. So, I kept trying. Begged, pleaded, professed me love every day until she said yes."

Hiccup looked up at him, "But if she and Astrid were in the same situation, then how did the village treat you?"

Stoick chuckled, "Between ye and me, lad, I used to be known as Stoick the _Vengeful_ before your mother's cooking turned me into Stoick the _Vast_ ," He chuckled, giving his son a wink. "An' I already know ye've got mean right hook, eh, son?"

Hiccup grinned a little it, "I guess...the old Hofferson home is a good place to start, huh?"

"Aye, that it is, Hiccup," he said, "Johann will be here within a few days, so whatever ye have planned, ye'll have just enough time for us to be away. But don't get too distracted. The villagers will need ye."

=x=

Ruffnut had been looking around for Astrid all day since she'd spotted Hiccup with the chief earlier, and that Astrid wasn't with them. At first she'd checked the arena, thinking that she'd be down there with the youngsters before leaving on her first hunt. But the arena was empty, save for a few captured dragons being let out to stretch themselves.

Next she checked at the forge, hoping to find her stocking up on weapons for the trip, but Gobber hadn't seen her at all either. She even went home to check for her, but none of her family had seen her since early that morning when she'd gone to check on Hiccup.

She then turned to her last option...Gustav.

Gustav was every bit as annoying as the viking he worshiped, one Snotlout Jorgenson. He did every thing to be like the arrogant Viking, including having a helmet made that looked almost identical to Snotlout's, cutting his hair to look similar, and even going so far as to insult Hiccup at times. But the one thing the fifteen year old mini-Snot excelled in was his stalker-like crush on her best friend. If Gustav didn't know where she was, then there was a chance that Astrid wasn't even on the island.

But...

"You're sure you haven't seen her?" She groaned exasperatedly, "At all?"

Gustav grinned and crossed his arms, "Seeing my beautiful goddess is a must, but I really haven't seen her today." He said, deflating a bit, "She's probably fawning all over that scrawny heir of the chief. How come he get's all the attention and not me? What's he got that I don't?"

Ruffnut scowled, "A backbone, that's what." She snapped, taking her helmet off and whopping him on the head with a clank, making his ears ring from the impact with his own helmet. She then stormed off in search of Astrid. Really, there was only one place left to check, and that was up the hill where her old house was.

A small hike later found the Thorston sweating slightly from the exertion, even as cold as the island was, but she had been right. Astrid was sitting on the front steps of her old home, chin resting on her knees, and her arms wrapped around her legs. "Oh, great, another one of those days," Ruffnut sighed, wiping her brow, and walked over to the girl, "Alright, what happened this time, Astrid?"

Astrid looked up at her, and the Thorston girl was shocked to see tears streaking down her cheeks, "Astrid, what in the name of Loki -!"

"Hiccup," she mumbled, "I...I hurt him, Ruff, bad this time."

Ruffnut felt her jaw drop, then smacked herself in the head, "Oh, for the love of- Astrid!" She shouted, grabbing the girl up by her shoulders, "Listen here, you're going after the nest with Stoick and some of the best warriors Berk has to offer, and you can't go out there with your head stuck your ass! That's something the _Jorgensons_ are supposed to do!"

"Bu-but I- "

"No buts!" Ruffnut snapped, and gave the girl a sharp rap on the head, "This _isn't_ like you at all, Astrid. Not once have I ever seen you so...so... _doe-eyed_ over something!"

Astrid bristled, "I am _not_ doe-eyed over anything, or anyone!"

"Then snap the fuck out of it, or you'll get yourself killed!" Ruffnut said loudly, surprising her with her harsh language, "But hey, you wanna hurt Hiccup, then by all means, go ahead, and get yourself eaten, just like his mama, and then he'll be hurt alright, so hurt that he'll _likely_ get himself killed, too!"

"I don't want that!"

"Then what do you want, huh?" Ruffnut asked, looking at the half-ruined house, "Look at this place, honey, you could fix this place on your own if you wanted to. And everyone here would help you, but no, you're just as happy with me and my family than you would be in your own home!" She said, and gave her friend a hard shake, "Face it, you're actually _afraid_ of something, aren't you?"

"I'm not afraid of _anything_!" Astrid snapped, throwing her hands off of her shoulders, gesturing to the house, "And fixing this place would take...I don't know, something to trade to the millers, and the quarry masters. Furs, hides, food, livestock! _All of the things I don't have!_ "

"They'd do it for you for free!" Ruffnut snapped, "My dad's a good lumber miller, and one of my cousins is a great hand at the quarry. They'd help you, no strings attached, and you wanna know why? _That's what family does for family_!" She roared.

"I don't _have_ any family!" Astrid screamed, her eyes watering again, pointing to the house, "My mom and dad were taken away from me to be eatenby dragons, my house burned, and the rest of my family? None of them could even be bothered to come and see if I was alright, or-or see my parents off when they burned that empty ship!"

A sharp crack sounded across the Hofferson stead, Ruffnut's hand stinging as she held it while Astrid looked at her, stunned. " _Family_ doesn't always mean _blood_ , Astrid," the girl said, shaking her head, "For as long as I can remember, you've been the sister I've _always_ wanted. Sure, some of my family wish you weren't around, but then my mother loves you just like one of our own. She doesn't care about whether or not you remain unmarried in our clan, you're just as much a Thorston as I am. I even asked if we could let you take Tuff's place!"

A giggle burst out of the pair of them, seeing Ruffnut's distaste for her brother never ceased to amuse her.

Smiling a little, Astrid went to the door of her family's home, reaching into the neck of her tunic,"You've never seen the inside, right?" She asked, pulling out a key on a leather cord. She unlocked the double-doors, and pushed them open.

Ruffnut followed her in, the entryway as empty as an abandoned ship. There was another set of door which Astrid pushed open, leading into the main hall. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hall, the only thing present being a large fireplace, everything else had been taken long ago so that a girl no older than five could survive. Cobwebs and dust swirled around their feet as the moved about the house. One set of doors to their right were collapsed, which was where the roof had caved in on the other side. The kitchen. She could see the remains of an oven and another fireplace.

"What happened to all of the money you got for the furniture?" Ruffnut asked, looking at her friend.

Astrid scoffed, "What money?" She asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "I only told people I was paid for my family's things so there wouldn't be trouble." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling colder than usual. "As soon as it was found out that my family was gone, people just barged in and took what they wanted. And how was I supposed to stop them?" She asked, her eyes red and puffy, "I was five. You wanna know where my things are? They're all around the village, they even took the safe my father kept my dowry in. Your mom has our table." She said, gesturing toward the middle of the room where the gigantic long table had once hosted feasts for her family when their kin would arrive.

"My bed is part of the Ingerman house, now. And everything else is spread across the village, or destroyed now." She said, and Ruffnut felt herslef growing cold with rage, "I think Mildew has my parents' bed."

"Why the fuck didn't you _say_ anything?!" Ruffnut screeched, "This...this isn't how our village is supposed to be! We're supposed to help each other! Not...not _steal from children_!"

"I didn't say anything because of Stoick," Astrid said, a small smile coming to her face, "The night my parents were taken, and the house caught fire, he offered to take me in. I refused, because I didn't want to be a burden. He...he hugged me, and said that no child would ever be a burden while was the chief. Still, I couldn't live under his roof. And then all of my things were taken, and Stoick asked what had happened...he was always so proud of his people...I couldn't tell him what had happened. So I told him I'd sold everything...and when he asked me where I put my money, I told him it was hidden in a safe place...he didn't look like he believed me, but accepted it...and then he went to Miss Freydis..."

Ruffnut nodded, "I remember, Mom looked really scared when the chief showed up," she growled, clenching her fists, "Now I know _why_."

Astrid shook her head, "She didn't do the taking, Ruff," she promised, "Every night for the next year, she kept apologizing to me for what had been done to me. I loved her like a second mother, and I still love you like my sister...but -"

"You won't marry Hiccup, not because you've got nothing to give to his family fame," Ruffnut said, "But because you're afraid of what the villagers will do to him."

"Of what _he'll_ do to _them_ ," Astrid said, frowning, "I know he says he hasn't changed, but he has...he's a warrior now, and they still don't see it. If...if he wanted to - "

"Stop right there, Sister," Ruffnut said, holding up her hand, "Hiccup won't do anything to hurt them, not physically, anyway, but Gods if he ever finds out about this, he'll be worse than _Fenrir_." She said, smiling maliciously, "He knows how to hurt people without touching them, that's for sure."

"And what'd happen when he did that?" Astrid asked, "They'd _murder_ him, Ruffnut, you know they would!"

Ruffnut stepped forward and hugged the girl, "Not while I'm around, because I won't tell him." She said, smiling, "And while you're gone, I'll look after him for you. Not even Snotlout'll lay a finger on him."

Astrid held her sister tightly, "Thank you, Ruff," she said against her hair, "Thank you so much...you don't know how long I've wanted to tell someone about this."

Ruffnut smirked and chuckled, "I can imagine," she said, "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but you can always count on me, Sister." She said, placing an arm around her shoulders as they began to leave, "Come on, Stoick's probably gonna start looking for you soon, and we need to get your gear ready for the trip."

Astrid nodded gratefully, allowing the girl to lead her out of her home, and closing the door on twelve years of pain. Unknown to her, however, Ruffnut was not only an avid Loki-worshiper, but a touch on the vengeful side. She truly loved Astrid as a sister, and there was no way in the nine realms she was going to let this go. And she knew exactly who to ask for help in getting a little payback on Astrid's account.

=x=

Hiccup did not go to watch the ships leave the harbor that evening. He didn't have the strength. Instead, he busied himself in the forge, hammering furiously on a new type of metal he'd found on the western beaches, and also another Gronkle-metal. He was making a war-axe with it, and from what he was seeing, it was going to be beautiful when he finally finished it.

Why?

Becaust no matter how many times he folded, and hammered the metal, it remained as black as a sliver of midnight when it began to cool. He was just finishing shaping it when he saw someone standing inside the door of the forge, "Ruffnut?" He said, taking notice of the girl's scowl, "What're you doing here? I thought you'd be down at the harbor?"

Ruffnut shrugged, "Nothing really, just thought I'd drop in and see why Astrid's so moon-eyed over you." She said, giving the young man, who was currently shirtless due to the heat of the forge, an appraising eye, "Can't say I'm disappointed, though your arms could be a little bigger."

Hiccup just chuckled, and took the axe over to the acid vat, "Glad I can impress you, oh so lovely Ruffnut." He said, relishing in the hiss of the acid as the metal disappeared into the vat. He quickly took it out, and ran a file over the edge to check the hardness of the metal, and whistled as parts of the file came away. He went to the grindstone, "So, has everyone left?"

"Not everyone," she said, and let herself wander over to his workbench, crossing her feet at the ankles. "But you know, Astrid was hoping to see you out there, you know? Matter of fact, I think she wanted to say something to you."

Hiccup stilled as he was sharpening the blade, "Really? Like what?"

Ruffnut smiled at him, "Oh, you know, 'Hiccup, I'm so sorry,'" she said in a high imitation of Astrid, gaining a goofy look on her face, "'You're oh so manly, and any girl would be crazy to keep rejecting you like me!'" Laughing at the look Hiccup was giving her, she held up her hands, "Okay, okay, just kidding!"

"If you're here to tease me, don't think I won't do to you what I did to Snotlout," he growled, sharpening the spikes on the top and back of the axe, making sure that they were primed for stabbing, or back-slicing.

"I'm actually counting on that," she said, pushing off the table, "Hiccup, we need to talk, and it's about Astrid."

Hiccup's head turned ever so slightly, "What about her?"

Ruffnut took a deep breath, "Just listen to me, and then decide what to do next, alright?"

Hiccup stopped sharpening his blade, and turned around on the stool, "Alright, you've never sounded so serious...I'm all ears."

One more deep breath, and Ruffnut started her tale, from start to finish, about her earlier meeting with Astrid. All the while she watched the young acting-chief's face, sometimes hardening, other times looking furious to appalled. His gripped audibly tightened on the shaft of the axe he was working on, turning his knuckles whiter than the belly of a cod.

"Well," Ruffnut sighed, looking at the young smith, "You're the chief for now, so what are you gonna do about this?"

The fury returned to the young man's face, his face twitching, but then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "What I'm going to do, is finish my axe," he said, turning about on the stool to resume sharpening it, "And until my dad comes back, you'll be acting as my right hand." He said, surprising her, "So in the morning, I want you to round up the village and bring them to the Great Hall...it's time for me to address my _subjects_."

Ruffnut gave a small smirk, "You know she was afraid you'd want to hurt them, but what are you gonna do?"

Hiccup never looked away from his work as sparks flew from the axe blade, "I _love_ Astrid with all of my heart," he said, testing the edge with his thumb, drawing blood, "I'm not the type of Viking that'll fly into a rage like the Berserks, and I'm not ruthless enough to kill all of those responsible, and I'm smart enough to know that I'll never find out who was responsible, even if I went around searching...so, they're going to help Astrid, whether they like it or _not_."

=x=

The sea was rolling in gentle waves as the Hooligan warriors sailed, the lead ship out in front of the small fleet. The chief sat at the bow, his eyes on the horizon. At the rear sat Astrid, her eyes at their backs, looking back at Berk. Though she felt a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders from talking with Ruffnut, something was nagging at her.

It felt like something was about to happen. Whether that something was good or bad she didn't know. Sighing, she reached over the side of the boat, letting her fingers touch the waters below her. Expecting it to be cold, she gasped when she felt warmth.

Stoick heard her, even over the rolling waters, "Something wrong, lass?" He called back.

"The water's warmer here," Astrid said, slight embarrassed, "It just surprised me."

"Warmer?" Stoick asked, then went to her, the ship swaying, "The waters this far out have always been colder than ice, Astrid." He said, and knelt beside her, dipping his fingers into the waves. It did feel warmer than usual. A sense of elation settled over the chief as he brought a handful to his mouth, tasting it. Though he promptly spat the salty water out, there was something else in the taste that brought a smile to the man's face. "Fresh pine."

He looked off into the distance and broke into a laugh, "The whales!" He pointed off to the starboard side, and Astrid stood up, searching for the sight of her first whale. She was not disappointed.

There, not fifty yards from their fleet, were the huge, bulging grey backs of the sea beasts. And there were many of them. "I-I've never seen anything so - "

"Beautiful, aye," Stoick said as one of the beast lept out of the water, splashing down among its kin, "I've always thought they were magnificent, and it pained me to kill one, but...these great beasts will feed our people when the reach the archipelago."

Astrid gave a small smile as a blossom of hope filled her...that is...until she saw something following the pod of whales. "Stoick!" She pointed to the object. It looked to be a large spiked rock, but rocks did not move. Stoick saw what she was pointing at, and frowned.

"T'is a Krayfin, Astrid," he said, making the girl look at him sharply, "A young one, but a Krayfin all the same. Once the first whale is killed, and there's blood in the water, it'll call for the rest of its kind."

"Shouldn't we turn back, then?" Astrid asked, looking up at him, "They'll need us - "

"Nay, child," Stoick sighed, "We're too slow to reach them in time. Besides...Hiccup will figure something out in time to deal with the beasts." He said, smiling at the thought of his son's first whale hunt as he watched the pod move off, and smiled once more, pointing just beyond them, "And it looks tae me that there'll be plenty to go around." He said as another pod of whale broke the surface of the waves, these even larger than the grey whales, "Those be the great blues, lass, the largest whales that have ever been seen in these waters."

Marveling at their size, Astrid felt something akin to happiness. She was glad to have been brought along on the hunt, if only to see something as amazing as this.

Now meanwhile...

True to his word, Hiccup had called everyone to the mead hall for a council. At his side, surprisingly to the rest of the villagers, was Ruffnut Thorston, and neither one of them looked very happy. At the young heir's side was an ornate black war axe, looking every bit as sharp as it was beautiful. Gobber was the first one to break the uneasy silence, "Hiccup, why did ye call us all up here this morn'?" The man asked, yawning, "T'is too early to be out an' about."

"I agree with Gobber, for once," Mildew shouted in a high, reedy voice. "What right do ye have to drag us all out of bed, or away from our chores?"

Hiccup's eyes cut across the room toward the old man, his glare as sharp as a blade, "What right do I have?" He asked in a quiet, dangerous tone, "What right do any of _you_ have to barge into the house of Hofferson, and make off with _everything_ they owned, and leave their daughter with _nothing_?"

Mildew would not be cowed, "How dare ye accuse - " Quick as a snake, the young smith drew his knife and threw it, burying it in the wooden table in front of the old sheep herder, " _Aie_!"

"Be quiet," Hiccup sneered, looking around the room at faces he'd know all of his life, all of whom now looked as uneasy as sheep in the middle of a dragon raid, "I used to look up to everyone in this village, even though you scorned me as a child because I was small. Even though I couldn't fight dragons like the rest of you, I looked up to you because all of you could do something I couldn't. Even when there are some in this room that would have gladly held up traditions, and strangled me at birth because I was small, I looked up to you all, because you were everything I _wanted_ to be, and _never would be._ "

His eyes landed on Gobber, who was looking quite pleased with his words, "I was proud to be a member of this tribe, because I could tell others that my people were the greatest warriors throughout the archipelago," he said, letting his words sink in as deeply as possible before he cut them, "But now, I can't feel any pride in any of you. Our people are descended from pirates, but we only took what we needed from far lands well beyond these waters, we never turned on each other...and yet, twelve years ago, when Arvak and Helga Hofferson were taken, you all broke into their home while it was burning, and stole everything that _rightfully_ belonged to their daughter!"

Snotlout, who had been listening for once, looked up at his father, "Dad, is that true?" He asked, standing up from his seat, "You didn't do what he said you did, right?"

"Be quiet, son, this isn't - "

"Answer him!" Hiccup snapped, taking his axe from his belt.

"He does'nae have tae," Gobber held up his hook, "'Cause _I_ will!"

"Gobber!" Spitelout shouted.

"Shaddup!" Gobber snapped as he hobbled up to Hiccup to let himself be heard, "T'is as true as my name is Gobber the Belch!" He said, looking at Snotlout, "Yes, everyone here took something from the Hofferson home, meself included," he said, looking at the boy beside him in slight shame, "But what I took wasn't outta greed, it was fer the wee lass in the long run." He said, "But the lad's right. We all shamed ourselves that night."

"Which is why we're all here," Hiccup said, "Astrid Hofferson never told my father about this, and had she done so in the first place, all of you would be missing your right hands right now!" He slammed the axe down onto the table, burying the blade easily. "But she didn't," he continued, pinning them all with a glare, "So, to repay her for her gracious charity to the village," he said sarcastically, "I will ask the miller and the quarry master of the village repair the Hofferson home, and make it livable again!"

"That's not fair!" Someone shouted, "What right do ye have- "

"What right did _any_ o' us have goin' intae that girl's home an' stealing everythin'!" Gobber shouted, agreeing with Hiccup, "An' ye will do as the young chief says, else I'll be tellin' Stoick when he gets back why there're some fresh graves down on the beach, cause I doona think Hiccup is really askin'."

"Hiccup," Eric-Pretty-Face said, coming up with his wife and child in tow, "I was a wee lad when this happened, but being a woodcutter, I'd like to make an effort to help the young lass."

Hiccup nodded to the man, smiling a little, "Thanks for that, Eric, I'll be sure to pay you for your trouble," he said, reaching for his belt once more, and pulled a small leather pouch, tossing it in his hand for a moment and making it jingle, "This was originally going to be a paid repair job," he said, loosening the tie on the pouch, and producing a gleaming silver piece from the bag, "This is silver I coined myself, and intended to pay those responsible for the repairs the the Hofferson home, but given that some of you are the reasons she doesn't have a home - "

"Hiccup, wait," said Flay, the seamstress, "I'm agreement with what ye say, but ye cannae expect work tae been done for free."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not that stupid," he said, "For the lumber required to repair the home, three pieces of pure silver."

"My lumber is worth at least _seven_!" Bjorn the miller roared, "That's highway robbery!"

"I'll take that price," Eric said, stepping up to the young chief, "What ye said is true. Stealing from a child like me little Olga is worse than dragon raids when there's so little to go around, we've stolen from a person that could'nae even defend herself."

"One of my nephews is a quarry master," Freydis Thorston said, stepping forward, looking shameful as her daughter glared at her, "I wasn't aware until Stoick came tae me with the wee lamb, but when he told me where me husband got our table..."

"Will you nephew fuss about five pieces?" Hiccup asked.

"I'll be make sure he doesn't," Freydis smiled, clenching her fists, "Astrid doesn't know it, but I'm a Hofferson on me mum's side."

That brought a smile to Hiccup's face, "Thank you, Lady Freydis," he said with a nod of his head, then he turned serious again, "I can see the greed on all of your faces." He said, seeing a visible flinch from the majority of the Berkians. "Know that you'll all be pitching in, even if you didn't take anything from her, she's given more to this village than _anyone_. She's taken it upon herself to never marry, and teach any and all of the children how to fight when their time comes, and what the Hel have any of us done for her. Freydis and the Thorstons took her in, but no one else helped her. Even her dowry was taken from her, so she couldn't marry even if she wanted to!"

"Count me in," Snotlout said, stepping away from his father, who glared. "We may not get along, but you're right, Hiccup. This is right."

Fishlegs stepped out of the crowd, "Uh, you can count on me to help."

"Yeah, me, too!" Gustav yelled, "I wanna help!"

"Mom'll never let me say no, so I'm in," Tuffnut raised his hand, earning a glare from Freydis.

"I wanna help Auntie Astrid, too!" Everyone laughed as Olga bounced up and down by her mother.

"We'll be helping," Hiccup said, smiling, though it was a warning smile, "The labor won't take long, less than a day if nothing comes up. Because one part of the wall is collapsed, as well as a small portion of the roof. As I said, less than a day. After that, we're starting on a new storehouse."

"A new one?" Gobber asked, surprised, "But we just got one built?"

"Not like this," Hiccup said, looking at his mentor, "What we're going to do is dig out a large underground storage room for our food. All of it in one place, where the dragons won't smell it. And, since the ground is frozen solid after five feet, that means it's going to be a lot of work to get it done. But we're going to need it. The whales will be coming soon, and the extra space will be a must for all of that meat. And the cold that far down will preserve it better than smoking it will."

"That makes sense," Arne Ingerman said, "And we could use it to store some grain, and flour so bugs won't bother it. They don't much like the cold."

"Neither do them little Terrors," Bjorn said, looking up at Hiccup, "How are we gonne keep the dragons out o' there?"

"Like the walls of a home, we'll frame the door with clay and stone, and make stairs that go all the way down, with ladders inside to help reach and place our food." He said, "This is gonna be a lot of work, but it'll be for the good of the village, and it'll keep our food fresher, longer."

"Ye threaten us because we helped ourselves tae some furniture, now ye want us to dig a hole in the ground when it's as hard as Gronkle hide?" Mildew screeched, looking around him, "This lad's as mad as 'is mother was! He'd - GAH!"

Hiccup's black axe buried itself in front of Mildew, just inches away from where his hand had been only seconds ago. Hiccup was still posed in a throwing motion when he glared at the man, "Speaking ill of the dead won't get you any favors, Mildew," he said coldly while Gobber growled beside him, and Ruffnut went for her mace, "Talking about my mother like that will get you killed."

"I would stay quiet if I were ye," Gobber said when Mildew made to speak again, his hook gleaming menacingly, "An' the rest o' ye? Ye heard the lad! Let's get tae work!"

* * *

 _ **The truth behind Astrid's home is revealed. And some people are pissed. The whales are coming, and they are not alone. Let's hope everything goes well for Hiccup as the acting chief, and Astrid when they enter Helhiem.**_

 _ **I'd appreciate the reviews if you can take the time to write them.**_

 _ **Note: Obviously, the axe Hiccup forged is made of Ebony.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**This is where the trouble begins.**_

 _ **5: Sea Hunt**_

 _ **To Look Into The Eyes Of A Dragon**_

* * *

Over the next few days, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock felt pride in his decisions. Eric Pretty-Face, and the Thorston quarry master had been as good as their word, and the Hofferson house was repaired in less time than the young acting-chief thought. The challenge lay in his new underground storehouse. Hiccup, as much as he helped out with the dig, spent a great deal of his time in the forge repairing the tools used to make the dig.

The answer to his problem came when he went back down to the beach to comb for metals again. He brought back all of the Gronkle-Iron he could carry in a small barrow, and forged stronger, sharper tools that cut through the frozen ground like butter. The pit, after the initial five feet of thawed earth, was a good twenty feet deep, with two chambers dug out to either side for more space rather than digging deeper, and would require smaller support beams, making Eric's job that much easier when he and his fellow woodcutters were given axes made of the same iron.

Now, with tools stronger than normal iron, Hiccup and the rest of his villagers had nearly completed their task of digging the storehouse. It had taken nearly a week with everyone helping, and putting in the wooden supports, but Hiccup was proud when they finally started building the roof over the pit. A raised door would lead down into the frozen storehouse via a set of steps, and would be far too small for any large dragons to get into. But, given how cold it was bound to be, not even the Terrible Terrors would be dumb enough to crawl inside.

When Hiccup wasn't helping with the pit, he was still back at the forge working on a new coin press. Cutting his silver into thinner strips of two inches wide, he created a weight press that also cut the coins out while making the two sides for them. It was still a slow process, but made easier since he didn't hve to pound them out as blanks, and pound the etching into the sides. But it was upgraded to a two person job. One person to feed the precious metal through, and another that pulled the lever down to cut and press the coins.

What scraps that didn't get coined wee melted back down to make small bullion bars, and stored away for trading. All in all, once Hiccup had enlisted the help of the heavy-set Fishlegs, all of the silver left by the Gronkles had been picked clean from the beaches, as well as any other metals Hiccup used in the forge. With Astrid's home repaired, he began paying the villagers for their labor on the storehouse. Surprisingly, he didn't run his little nest-egg dry for one early morning he decided to go down to the beaches, and found that the Gronkles came to those beaches regularly to feed, and left many more purified metals. Which included the silver he sought.

Berk was becoming a rich little village.

The villagers no longer fussed about the Hofferson house, and being made to repair it, what with their pockets being lined with Berkian silver, why would they?

Because Mildew did not know when to shut his mouth. The old sheep herder was quite sore about Hiccup throwing weapons at him, and would not be silenced. Each and every day they worked, Mildew perched himself on the edge of the pit, yelling obscenities down at him, and attempted to invoke a riot of a sorts. The question of why anyone should follow a runt like Hiccup was always the argument he rained down on the people of Berk.

It got so bad that even Snotlout was getting fed up with the man, and asked Hiccup if he could use him as dragon bait in the next raid. Ruffnut and Tuffnut mentioned something about making an offering to Loki. Even the timid Fishlegs was ready to start throwing punches.

Finally, Hiccup, while he was working with the others down in the pit to get the wooden walls in place, as well as the support beams, a rock was throw at him, and struck him right in the head. Felled by the rock, Ruff and Tuff had helped the young man up, both staring up at the man standing directly above the young chief.

"See how weak our chief's chosen heir is?" Mildew shouted down, "What kind of warrior cannae handle a _pebble_ falling on 'im?"

Gobber hobbled over to the boy, checking his bleeding head, and roared up, "I saw that, ye lyin', sheep ploughin' _coward_!" His roar drew the attention of the other workers, who hadn't really been paying attention to the whole thing until Gobber started hollering. "That did'nae fall, ye _threw_ it! Ye just attacked our _chief_!"

"T'is only a hiccup," Mildew shouted back, "A _runt_!"

Hiccup shook his head, wiping blood out of his eyes from his wound. He then glared up at the man, "You stay right _there_ , Mildew!" He snarled, and made for the ladder. Ascending the ladder he saw that Mildew had indeed tried to flee him, but was held in place by one of the Thorston men, Lars if he remembered right, but that didn't matter to him so much as getting to the old man and finally getting his point across.

"Am I still a runt?" Hiccup demanded as he advanced, "Do you still think me weak!?" He snapped coming face to face with the old man, who cowered, and took him by the front of his tunic, "Are you so stupidly set in your ways that you'd attack the son of a chief? Your acting chief?!"

"T'was an accident!" Mildew screeched.

"And now you're lying having only just admitting you were the one that did this!" He roared, pointing to the cut above his right eye, "You haven't helped anyone these passed days, Mildew, all you've done is screech at the top of your lungs like a gull! No more!" He dragged the man to the edge of the pit,easily hoisting him over the edge as his feet scrambled for purchase.

"Ye cannae do this!" Mildew screamed, "Ye'll not murder me!"

Hiccup then pulled him close, looking him dead in the eyes, "You're right," the young man said, and the man gave a small, shaky smile, "A chief protects his own...but that doesn't mean I have to help you when you haven't helped _any_ of your own people, who've done nothing to you." He whipped around and threw the man to the ground, "When the whales come, your portions of the kills we make are forfeit. Two years you will survive on nothing but fish. You may plead your case to my father when he gets back, ask anyone who will to back up your claim, but I will don't expect any more mercy from me." He turned back to the pit, "And don't show your face to me again until my chieftain comes home."

"Ye would have me starve?!" Mildew screeched, stumbling back to his feet, "Ye should've been given to the sea when ye were born ye shameful -gah!" Lars clipped him on the neck.

"Full of bullocks, ye are, fer a man talkin' tae the back o' a better one," Lars said, "An' ye won' starve, ye idiot. Ye'll have whatever fish rations ye're due, and yer sheep...less ye keep'em fer ploughin'." He grinned and loosed the old man, aiming a kick at him as he scrambled off. Lars then ambled over to the young chief, "Don' go mindin' anythin' that old sheep shagger says, Hic, ye know how he is."

"Doesn't make it any easier," he said, leaning over the edge of the pit, "Alright, that's enough for today!" He called down, "Eight pieces of silver for everyone's hard work!" A cheer rose up over the pit as everyone put down their tools and made their way out.

Hiccup, as he passed out the day's wages, found himself in a better mood as he saw the happy faces of his people. Working together as they had with him, given his cutting words only days ago, the people had grown to respect the hard-working young man that they saw in Hiccup. And he now had some of his respect for his people back now that Astrid's home was restored.

"Hiccup," Bjorn said as he came up to receive his pay, "I wonder if I could get one o' them swords ye've been makin' from that shiny iron ye been cartin' around?" He said to the young man as he was handed a small pouch of coins, "That one ye fixed fer me last year's finally startin' tae chip along the edges."

"Is it really?" Hiccup asked, smiling up at the lumberjack, "Come by tomorrow around noon, and I'll see about getting you fixed up with a new blade, no charge."

"Right neighborly o' ye, that," Bjorn smiled, moving off to admit the next person, who happened to be Fishlegs.

"How's your head, Hiccup?" He asked as the young man handed him his silver.

"Still hurts, but it'll pass," he said, "Have you heard anything from the watch towers? Johann should be here by now."

Fishlegs shrugged, "Someone said they thought they saw sails earlier this morning, but if they did, they should've made port by midday."

"Huh, now I'm worried." He sighed.

The next hour went along smoothly as the silver was passed to people, who were now anticipating the trader's visit to see what wares he had for them. Hiccup was especially looking forward to it, because he still needed furniture for Astrid's home. By day's end, Hiccup's storehouse had been all but finished, only a few more planks of wood were needed for the roof, and they were sitting nearby, ready to be put into place.

All in all, Hiccup felt good as he made his way down to the harbor and looked out to sea. The waters were as calm as glass under the waning sun, painting a beautiful image across the surface.

He sat on the edge of the docks, and sighed, wondering how the trip across the sea was going of his father and Astrid. Were they safe? Did they find the nest? So many questions he wanted the answers to he feared he'd burst.

A thumping on the wooden docks alerted him to the presence of his mentor as Gobber plopped down next to him, "I 'ope ye did'nae listen to ol' Mildew." He said as he looked out at the waters, "None o' what 'e said were true, ye know?"

Hiccup shook his head, "What is it with him, Gobber?" He asked, "Why does he hate me so much?"

Gobber hooted, "Something that 'as nothin' tae do with who ye are, but everything tae do with what ye used tae be." He said, thumping the boy on his good shoulder, "Ye see, lad, Mildew is...traditional...an' 'e believes in the old ways." He said, looking the boy over, "Married three times 'e 'as, an' each wife gave 'im a child...one wee babe each...an' all o' them were 'hiccups'."

" _All_ of them?" Hiccup asked, astonished, then frowned, "Wait, if he has children, then why...oh..."

"Aye," Gobber nodded sadly, "We tried tae reason with him, 'cause back then, children were as precious as yer silver is now. But 'e would'nae listen, and the wee ones..." he shook his head, "Needless tae say, 'e feels _wronged_ by you, just 'cause ye were no' thrown into the sea when ye were born, an' such a wee thing. But look at ye now, Hic," he said, smiling at the boy, "So much stronger than any of us thought, and just as fierce as any o' us."

Hiccup shrugged, "Can't help what I am, though, still a Hiccup in everyone else' eyes," he said, "Still I didn't make any friends today, they just wanted the silver."

"Aye, coin is good, but loyalty's better," the old smith said, smiling, "It's not that they just want the silver, lad. They're really tryin' to gain some self-respect back. Ye've no idea how _deep_ ye cut'em the other morn'," he said, scratching his neck with his hook.

Hiccup's face hardened, "Good." He said, leaning on his knees, "What they did is unforgivable...I mean, I've been through a lot, but to think about Astrid, the most respected warrior in our tribe besides my dad, being robbed by her own people, even though she fights to defend them with each raid, it's...I don't know how she kept quiet about this for so long!"

Gobber gave a small chuckle, "Grief an' anger be strong things, lad, and verra hard tae hide," he said, looking back out to sea as the sun began to sink below the waves, "Hidin' such things takes a great amount o' strength, especially for a wee bairne like she was at the time. Shows just how strong she is now, only just breakin' from it all. All 'cause o' ye, it sounds like."

Hiccup shook his head, "All I've ever done is love her, how can I cause that much pain for her?"

"'Cause she's missed _bein_ ' loved so much that she did'nae even know it herself until ye finally told her how ye felt." Gobber put in, smiling toothily, "Mark me, lad, as soon as she comes home, and sees what ye've done, she'll open up like a flood gate. Could be bad, could be good, but that's the chance ye take with bein' in love."

Hiccup would've said more, but something caught his attention. A sound unlike anything he'd ever heard. " _Fwooosh_ " sounded across the quiet of the evening. Hiccup looked out at the water, and saw a spray of mist rising out of the calm glassy surface, along with a huge dark bulge. "I-Is that a dragon?!" He asked, rising to his feet quickly.

Gobber scrabbled up just as quickly, "Nay, lad, that's no dragon!" He laughed, "That be a _whale_!"

"They're here?!" Hiccup turned to him, "We have to wake the others!"

"Aye, lad," Gobber nodded, "These are grays, and the bigger one's won't be tae far behind'em!" He said, "Get the 'poons from the sheds and arm the ships, I'll raise the village!"

Gobber was quick to do as he planned as Hiccup went to the sheds where all of the harpoons were kept. The village was suddenly bursting with life again as the men and women poured out of their homes and made ready their ships to go on the hunt.

"Get the nets ready!" Hiccup yelled as the ships began to pull out, "As soon as we take one down, have a long boat run a line back to shore so it can be hauled back in!"

"Aye, Hiccup!" Bjorn answered, "Ready the nets! Get the oil vats ready!"

Dinghies were readied with yards and yards of rope to be tied around the tail of the carcass once the whales were dispatched, as well as nets to help haul the massive bulk of the beasts in.

The Vikings of Berk rowed their great ships out into the sea toward the whales feeding in the twilight. Hiccup stood at the prow of his ship, harpoon in hand, rope attached to a loop in the iron head, which attached a float barrel to the harpoon. "Faster!" He hissed, "Keep us steady!"

"Aye, sir," it was Eric Pretty-Face behind him. "Aim fer the head, Hiccup, they cannae dive when a floats on their head!"

Hiccup swallowed back his nerves and bile at what he was preparing to do. The gigantic sea leviathans were feeding on krill, and other small creatures, minding their own business, and it weighed heavily on him that he had to kill them. But they needed the hundreds of pounds of meat the massive animals would give once butchered.

Steeling his nerves, he hefted the barbed harpoon, taking careful aim at a large beast in front of them, and hurled. The first harpoon struck home, and was followed by others as the Vikings converged on the beast, the floats flying from their ships as the whale attempted to flee. Before it could, however, five harpoons were buried into its hide.

" _Gobber_!" Hiccup roared.

"On it!" The smith yelled, and jumped from the ship to the whale's back, going to work with a sword attached to his stump of a hand, and ending the creature's suffering, "Heave to, lads!" He yelled back at the shore where dinghies were coming.

"After the others!" Bjorn roared, "One won't be enough!"

"Harpoon!" Hiccup snapped, being handed another of the barbed tools.

The large pod of gray whales continued to feed, moving further and further out as the Vikings advanced on them, and doubling back toward the harbor in pursuit of the krill and other small fishes that were being drawn by the green waters. Soon another whale was being hauled toward the beach where the first was being cut up.

Blood stained the water dark as the sun sank below the waves, and the moon rose to take its place. Gobber, Bjorn, and three other men from the ships were quick and nimble as they jumped from ship to ship dispatching their quarry, making sure the beasts were long gone before passing the lines to the smaller boats.

Hiccup hurled another harpoon at the bulging shape of a whale as it rose up in front of the boat, striking it right between where the eyes should have been. The whale rolled, and thrashed, tangling itself in the line before going limp. Dead.

Hiccup felt sick, but forced himself to take up another harpoon. There was still work to be done.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted from a dinghy as he pulled up alongside them, "Phlegma says they've gotten five whales ashore!"

"Good," the young heir nodded, tired, "How long have we been at it?"

"It's passed the midnight hour," he said, and passed over some harpoons taken from the carcasses.

Hiccup nodded, "We'll quit at sunrise." He said, and went back to work. Some time during the night Eric took his place at the prow, while he took his place at the oars.

All in all, the night's hunt yielded twenty small gray whales. When dawn broke across the horizon, the sea was red with blood. Hiccup, his eyes clouded with sleep, sat against the side of the ship as the made their way back to the harbor.

Gobber came to find him some time later, around noon, he thought, given how high the sun was, and passed him a place of bread and mutton with a small mug of ale. "Not bad fer a first night's hunt o' whales."

Hiccup nodded, gratefully accepting the food, "How did my crew fair?"

"Four, I think," Gobber shrugged, "Kind o' hard tae tell, what with all that commotion going on." He said, looking out to sea again. "But this was just the beginnin', lad. All of that krill's gonna attract lots o' fish, and that'll attract squids, and then comes the big boys. The sperm whales. Almost as fierce as dragons, them beasties be."

Hiccup sighed as he ate, "The grays are moving off already?"

"Aye, they just came in for a quick feed," he said, smiling, "T'will be a good year, I think...just hope none o' them sperm whales go mad once they been 'pooned. Once watched a ship get smashed to bits when a big bull charged it after it got stuck."

Hiccup sighed, "All of this for meat?"

Gobber sighed, "Aye, lad," he nodded, "With the raids about to end, this is the best time to stock up on food until the next season comes about. An' with that new storehouse o' yours, we may stand a better chance o' keepin' that food longer."

Hiccup nodded, "When will the sperm whales get here?"

" _Fwoosh_ " Hiccup groaned as he sat up, looking out to sea as an even larger pod of whales was swimming into their waters. "All hands on deck, then."

"Aye, lad, all hands on deck!" Gobber roared, "We got some whales tae hunt!"

=x=

A wall of fog stood in the path of the Hooligan war ships. Astrid had never seen anything like it before in her life, not even when storms had washed over their island. "This is it?" She asked her chief as the ships came to a slow halt.

"This is it," he said, patting the girl on the shoulder, turning about, "Right, everyone, get tae yer stations, and man the oars. Today's the day we end this."

Astrid nervous clutched her axe to her chest as the oars slowly began to propel them into the fog. A chill settled over her as the misty air dampened her clothes, making them cling to her body uncomfortable. Stoick placed a fur cloak around her shoulders when she began to shiver.

"Easy, lass, t'is only a little further," he said, using an oar to push off from a sea stack. It was hard for her to believe such a thing. She couldn't see further than three feet in front of her.

Suddenly, a sea stack was right in front of them. "Look out!" She shouted. Stoick acted at once, pushing his oar against the stone harshly, but the boat had too much momentum, and slammed into it with a loud thud.

If it was possible, as soon as the sound of wood hitting stone echoed across the area, it seemed to go even quieter. All of the crew were still, Astrid looking appalled at her own stupidity for shouting.

Stoick gave her a small look that told her not to worry, but she did. Something wasn't right. It was entirely too quiet when they were supposedly near a den of dragons. Where was the roaring? The beat of wings? There was nothing.

"Steady," Stoick whispered, hefting his axe, "Something's coming."

A rumble sounded from far ahead of the, like a clap of thunder. A roar shattered the quiet, loud and thunderous. Heavy footsteps were heard, and the splash of water. Stoick looked down into the water and saw waves crashing against the ships. Something large was in the water. "Turn us about," he hissed, "Whatever that is, we cannae fight it on the water!"

"Stoick, look out!"

A sea stack toppled over, and crashed into the water beside the ship. Astrid just barely caught sight of a huge form ghosting through the fog. "Oh, Freya," she swore quietly.

"Get us out o' here!" Stoick demanded, taking up his oar and pushing them back, "Unfurl the sails as soon as we clear the fog, and heave to!"

Another roar sounded, this time far too close for comfort.

Suddenly, something came crashing through the sea stacks, a monstrous mouth lined with teeth so large they looked like stalagmites. "Abandon ship!" Stoick roared, scooping up the frightened girl as the monstrous maw crashed down on the ship, and dove over the side.

She came up sputtering as Stoick dragged her to another ship that was rowing as fast as the crew could to get away from the monster. Astrid heard the screams of her fellow Vikings as they ship was crunched in its jaws.

"Move!" Stoick roared as he and Astrid made to the ship, and were hauled aboard, "Row! Row for yer lives, mates!"

The dragon turned its head toward them, its beady eyes narrowing as it advanced. Astrid, screeching in rage and fear, took her axe and swung it with all her might at the beast. The blade spun through the air, and sliced into the dragon's face, buried to the center. Shocked and enraged by the sudden pain, the dragon roared and clawed at the weapon, distracting it long enough for the ships to make a run for it.

The sounds of the monstrous dragon thrashing about trying to dislodge the blade were still heard as the exited the fog. Astrid stared back at the wall of mist, her shoulders shaking as the roars continued. Stoick was too shocked to do more than sit at the mast. He shook his head, "Never in my wildest nightmares," he muttered.

"Stoick," one of the oarsmen said, "What do we do now?"

Stoick shook his head, sighing sadly, "I will'nae risk the lives of my people anymore," he said, looking back at his men, "We sail for Berk. And then we call a council of the tribes together. Whatever that monster is, no one village can stand against it." He then looked to Astrid to see the Shield Maiden sink to her knees, her slim frame shaking. "Astrid, me girl, are ye alright?" He asked moving to her side.

"Stoick...were they taken to that thing..." she asked, never taking her eyes from the wall of fog, "Were my parents eaten by that...that _monster_?"

Stoick felt his chest tighten as he took his bear skin cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around the girl, "Oh, Astrid, that's not somethin' ye should be thinkin' about."

"But it's true, isn't it?" She asked, looking up at her chief, "The dragons took them...all of that food...and my parents...were all brought back here to that thing!" She sobbed, broken from fear and anguish, and Stoick forgot that the young woman in front of him was but a mere girl instead of the warrior she had trained her whole life to become.

He reached out and took her in his arms, "There, there, lassie, ye're alright now. Ye wounded it, that's enough fer now."

Astrid shook her head, "But it's still alive," she sobbed, "It'll want more food!"

Stoick nodded, "We'll have to make due for now until we figure out if the beast can be killed...how the beast can be killed," he said, correcting himself as he stood up, the girl in his arms, "That beast is just that! A beast!" He roared, turning to his men, "T'is an enemy we weren't ready tae face, but we know if ot now! Astrid wounded it, which means it can bleed, and if it bleeds we can and will kill it!"

"How?" The small frightened voice of Astrid asked as she shivered.

Stoick looked down at her and smiled, "Well, I think I need to speak with me son about some o' those inventions o' his."

=x=

The larger sperm whale proved to be more of a challenge for the Vikings of Berk, for these beasts were mighty predators with rows of cone-shaped teeth, and heads shaped like battering rams. The first one to be harpooned went wild and thrashed to free itself before another could be thrown. As Gobber had predicted, it was a large bull, sixty feet in length, and enraged by the metal annoyances in it's rubbery hide.

Hiccup had no reservations about taking the monster down because this species of whale fought back just as much as its hunters. Before the behemoth was killed, it had smashed one of their ships and badly damaged another before Hiccup himself had ended it with a harpoon to the brain of the beast.

As it was being hauled back, Hiccup noticed something following the carcass. A sleek shape in the water. Not a dragon, it was far too small. But the boy grew cold as the tell-tale dorsal fin rose up out of the water. "Sharks!"

The large amount of blood in the water had attracted not the Luminous Krayfin of their nightmares, but something just as dangerous. Twenty feet of raw muscle and appetite had come to feast on the whales they had taken.

Hiccup was having none of it. "Get that whale to shore, hurry!" He shouted toward the smaller boats, "Eric, get the hooks! Sharks are just as much good meat as whales!"

"More of them, too," Sven the Vengeful said, pointed across the waters as more fins began to appear. "That store room of yours is gonna be full in no time like this!"

Hiccup nodded, "Just keep out of the water, we don't want anyone getting pulled under by one of those things," he said, taking a harpoon in hand. He took aim at one of the passing sharks...and the boat lurched as something large slammed into it. Unbalanced, Hiccup dropped his iron, and pinwheeled his arms to stay standing.

A larger shark had gone under the boat, bumping into it with its snout, coming out just under the young chief's feet. Grabbing up his harpoon once again, he plunged the bladed tip into the monstrous fish's head. The effect was immediate. The shark thrashed, rolling over unto its back in spasms, which attracted the attention of the other sharks as they converged on their dead comrade, and bit into flesh. Hiccup was nearly made sick at the sight of the cannibalism, but shook himself out of it.

"Get the nets!" He yelled, "Don't let any of this go to waist!"

Gaffs and harpoons were thrown into the fray, and sharks almost as large as small whales were hauled on board, snapping and biting before being put down and placed in the transport boats to be taken back to shore. They only took one sperm whale that day, but the bounty of the seas offered up more than just the great leviathans as the sharks flocked to their shores baited by blood.

Hiccup was just hauling in one of the last catches of the day when something large passed under the boat. Larger than any whale, and cast a eerie blue glow through the water. A low hum echoed through the waters as a titanic jagged shell of a back rose up out of the water. All was quiet as the head of a monster rose from the waters. Hiccup had never seen one before, but there was no mistaking the beast in front of him.

In its might beak-like jaw was half the body of a small whale, smaller than the first one he'd killed to keep his ship safe. Watching the Krayfin even as those gigantic amber eyes looked down at him, Hiccup found himself rooted to the spot.

His men hefted harpoons in his defense, but he signaled them to stand down. Killing such a large beast with only harpoons was out of the question. They would only anger this creature, and then they would all be its meal.

Never taking its massive eyes off of him, the Krayfin lowered its head, moving closer to the young man. Hiccup found himself raising his hand in fascination, wondering how such gleaming skin would feel if he were to touch the beast. The Krayfin blow a breath out of its nostrils, a gust of wind rocking their boat.

" _Hiccup_ ," Gobber hissed at him, but the boy's fingers brushed gently against the smooth, cold skin of the might beast in front of him. The Krayfin, feeling the foreign touch of human fingers against its snout, hesitated...before those luminous eyes closed, and pressed against his open palm. For a moment, Hiccup was still as stone. He was touching a dragon! Him!

The moment then passed as the Luminous Krayfin drew away from him and sank back below the waves.

Gobber ambled up beside him,"In all me years," he breathed out, "I've _never_ seen somethin' like that!" He said, looking at his young apprentice, "Are ye alright, laddie?"

Hiccup nodded mutely, looking down at his hand in awe, then closed his eyes, turning about to address his crew, "Let's head back to shore," he said loudly, "With Krayfins in the area, no whales are gonna be dumb enough to come near us."

No one argued with him, and soon the small fleet of ships was safely back in the harbor.

The whaling was finished for the season. Hiccup's underground storeroom was full of fresh meat from the hunt while the sharks had been hung out to ferment. Hiccup, despite not seeing anything more than gray whales and the one sperm whale, was happy with the haul. And so was everyone else. Even more so, those that had witnessed the act of Hiccup staring down the Krayfin, and even reaching out to touch the beast, were impressed with his bravery.

That night, while Hiccup worked in the forge to repair some of the harpoons that took damage in the hunt, Gobber came to him once more, "Laddie, what were ye thinkin' out there?" He asked, "Ye know that beastie could've swallowed ye?"

Hiccup nodded, "I know, Gobber," he sighed, shaking his head, "I just...I don't know...when I looked at that dragon, I...I _trusted_ it." He said, lacking anything better to say as Gobber frowned, "And I think it trusted me, too. It didn't attack, but that could've just been because it already had a meal."

"Aye, that may be true on either account," Gobber said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, "But please, doona do somethin' like that again...ye scared me more than when I heard ye'd been downed by that Skrill over a month ago."

Hiccup laughed, "Oh, don't worry, I won't try that again," he promised, smiling at his mentor, "But...by Odin it was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me!"

Gobber gave a small nod of his head in agreement, "I doona know o' anyone that's looked a Luminous Krayfin in the eyes, an' lived to tell the tale."

=x=

Johhan the trader came the very next morning at the break of dawn. He landed to the smell of boiling whale blubber and oil as the red waters of the previous days' hunts began to turn once more to green as the krill lingered, and teamed with life. The whales still came to feed, but the Vikings had enough food to get them through the harsh winters to come, and well into the next season, even if the dragons raided again.

The man smiled as he saw the little village of Berk waking, and the delighted faces of its people as they saw him. Expecting to be greeted with offers of furs, fish and oils, Johann was shocked and delighted when he was offered what had to be the purest silver he had ever seen. And instead of Stoick the Vast, he was greeted by his son.

It had been a long time since the foreign tradesmen had last seen the youth, but seeing him now, Hiccup was no longer the skinny youngster than had once been scorned for his size. He now carried himself with broad shoulders, and a greater height. At his side was an axe as black as midnight, and his eyes seemed to sparkle with a well earned confidence.

No longer did this young man feel shame, but pride as his people gathered around the trader's ship to see his wares.

"Young Hiccup," Johann smiled as the young man moved forward to embrace the trader, thumping each other's back soundly, "By the gods, lad, look at you!" He pulled back, smiling broadly, "You've grown into a fine young chieftain!"

"Still skinny, though," he grinned right back.

"Not so, my boy," Johann smiled, thumping the boy's shoulders, noticing him wince as he patted the left, "Are you well, son? What ails you?"

Hiccup grinned sheepishly, "A Skrill attacked little over month ago." He said, "Took a barb to the shoulder off its tail, and it's still a little sore."

Johann winced, "Ah, no other people have as much trouble with the dragons than that of the Vikings, my boy," he said, sighing, "Come, let us trade."

"I wonder if you could help me with something," he said, taking a small bar of silver from his belt, a bullion bar if Johann's eyes did not deceive him. "We have a home here in Berk that lack everything that makes it a home. We have what we need to make tables and chairs, but the owner of this home? She will need a soft bed. She's done a great deal for this village and has been treated unfairly in the past. Can you help us with that?"

Johann smiled, and accepted the large piece of silver, "I do believe I can, Hiccup." He said, "For I have from from every part of the work with something. Rugs made from threads colored so bright they look to be pieces from the fire of the gods that light up the skies. Beds made of goose down, so soft one would think you were sleeping on a cloud, and bolts of cloth made of silken threads, soft and warmer than even the finest wool."

Hiccup laughed as a certain seamstress seemed to drool over the thought of such cloth, "If that bar is not enough for the cloth, and the bed, come to me, and please have that cloth given to Flay, our finest seamstress, along with any other cloth she fancies."

"Oh, Hiccup, lad, ye do'nae have tae - " Flay began, but the young man stopped her.

"Of course, Astrid is in need of a few clothes herself, so if you wouldn't mind?" He said, smiling at the older woman.

Flay gave a throaty chuckle and nodded, catching the drift right away. "She'll have me finest work, this I swear, lad."

Hiccup nodded his thanks, and turned back to Johann, "We'll also need any vegetable seeds, and saplings you might have brought. Fruit and nuts are getting scarce around here with the boars always running around."

"I may have a few seeds and young fruit trees that might grow here." Johann laughed, "Are you planning to buy me out, lad?"

Hiccup just grinned at him, "If it means my people are happy, then yes, whatever it takes."

Johann crowed with laughter, "Then let us sit and bargain, my dear boy!"

"Let's start with some toys and sweets for the children," he said, smiling as a certain little girl was staring at a doll on the deck on Johann's ship, "After all, I have a goddaughter to spoil."

* * *

 _ **Two giants appear before the people of Berk. One a monster that has devoured her people, and one a gentle creature gives a young man something he will never forget. The mission to find the nest has failed utterly with a monster appearing and devouring one of Stoick ships, and sending the fear of Ragnarok into Berk's Shield Maiden.**_

 _ **All the while, Hiccup and the village prospers as a successful hunt at sea yields a full storehouse, and no deaths at sea, even with a rogue whale.**_

 _ **But the danger is far from over for the little village. Now Hiccup must come up with something to destroy a dragon the size of a mountain.**_

 _ **Leave a review if you liked the chapter.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Note: Hiccup's weapons have been changed to the Oblivion-style Silver weapons.**_

 _ **6: Homingcoming**_

 _ **A Boy Meets A Dragon**_

* * *

The success of the whale hunt had brought the village's spirits up greatly. It had been a week since the event had happened, and Hiccup had found himself ever busy. The storehouse was full of meat from both field and sea, while the smokehouses were always sending the delicious scents of their contents over the village. The bones of the whales taken during the hunt were valued as what Johann called sea-ivory, and boasted about its strength and flexability. The ship lost during the mad bull whale's rampage was now being replaced under Gobber's watchful eye with a hull built around the whale bones they had saved. with a sail made from fireproof dragon hide that Hiccup had smartly harvested from the bone yard within the forest.

Johann's visit had also brought better crops to the village. The farmers were now beginning the tender care of new vegetables growing from the seeds and seedlings provided by the trader. The trees would bear fruits the trader called apples and plums, both of which Hiccup had never heard of, but was assured by Johann that they were both quite delicious. According to the trader, the soil of Berk was extremely fertile thanks to the frequent snows, and plentiful rains, as well as the ash provided by the dragons. Perfect for growing strong, healthy, hardy plants.

Hiccup's black axe had been a stunning hit with the man, and had been passed along as a gift to the trader because of his help, and the fact that Hiccup noticed that he only carried a small dagger to protect himself. But that didn't mean the young heir was without a weapon of his own. The black metal he had made the axe out of was scarce, but he found that there was a more common metal that resembled silver on the beach, save for that it was nearly a lite blue in color.

Hiccup forged himself a small dagger from the metal, and was delighted to find it sharp enough to cut right through hardened dragon leather. He had gone a little overboard, once he had stopped forging, and now sported not only the dagger, but a short sword, long sword, and bow with a full quiver of arrows with broad heads made from the same metal.

The blades of his swords were narrow, thin, light, and razor sharp to the touch, and suited him well enough that he was more than pleased with his work, and started making and passing out weapons made of the Gronkle-Silver, and Gronkle-Iron.

Also, much to his delight, Astrid's home was now fully furnished, complete with a very comfortable goose-down mattress. That was the crowning achievement in his own opinion. Ruffnut couldn't have been happier with the whole situation and thanked him every chance she could take.

Now that the hard labor was over, and the dragon attacks all but gone for the rest of the year, things had calmed down, and become peaceful on the small island. Hiccup's shoulder had mended back together as well, leaving only a small scar in its wake, and his hands had completely healed from their burns. Which meant that the young man was now free to do as he pleased unless the villagers needed him for something.

He was looking forward to seeing his father again, and prayed that he would be proud of him for what he had done for the village, especially with all the whale that had been stored away, as well as several sharks that had been caught.

Yes, the young man felt good. Everything was set right, and the people were happy...including little Olga, who now tended to follow the young man around like her very own big brother.

Today, however, the girl had resigned herself to a pout as Hiccup had shooed her away from following him into the woods while he searched for more materials for the forge. As safe as he usually was, he didn't dare take a chance on the girl coming to harm under his watch, especially out in the forest where he knew dragons were sure to be, even though they were small, and less dangerous than the larger, flying dragons, the Speed Stingers had been on edge lately, and he didn't want anything to happen to his goddaughter.

Olga was a typical child for a Viking. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. As a five year old, she barely came up to Hiccup's waist, but she was a determined little girl, that was certain, and she was proving it at the moment.

"How come I can't go?" She whined, hugging her little rag-doll she'd gotten from Johann, "I promise I won't get in the way!"

Hiccup laughed as the little girl pouted at him while he was getting his gear from the forge, strapping his dagger and short sword to his left hip, while the long sword went to his right. "Whether or not you'll get in the way isn't the problem, Olga," Hiccup smiled as he patted her head, "There's Speed Stingers running around, and I don't want to lose you." He said before tapping her on the nose, making her giggle, "What kind of godfather would I be if I let that happen?"

Gobber chuckled from where he and Fishlegs were pressing coins, "No' a verra good one, I can tell ye that, boyo!" He said, "Fishlegs, give a bit more weight tae it. Some of these coins doona look as deeply pressed. "

"Sorry, Gobber," Fishlegs said, blushing, "The last time I pressed too hard, I ruined the coins."

Hiccup sighed, "Sorry to have to make you do this for me, Gobber, but we were running short of silver, so I need to go out for more." He said, frowning when the man chuckled.

"No' tae worry, Hiccup," Gobber said, "What with the raids stopped fer the year, this'll give me somethin' tae do until next year."

Meanwhile, Olga was still pouting, "But you'll chase the scary dragons away, won't you?"

"Not with a load of silver on my back," Hiccup smiled, and patted her on the head again, "Now, I need to go before it gets too late, and I'll be gone all day. So you need to stay here and behave for Gobber and Fishlegs."

"Besides," Gobber said, smirking at the little girl, "Astrid may be back soon, ye know? Don' ye wanna see here when she gets back?" He said, chuckling when the girl nodded vigorously, "I bet she'll have loads o' stories about the trip."

With the girl thoroughly distracted, Hiccup made his escape.

As Hiccup made his way down to the beach where he usually found his silver, he noted that there were very few animals moving around. The odd Terrible Terror was perched in the high branches of the trees around him, but there was nothing else, not even the sound of a bird. Usually, in the morning, there were animals moving around before the sun got too high, and the dragons started moving around to hunt.

Even when the stormier winter months came around, there were still dragons to watch out for. Yet there wasn't even the sign of one of the large breeds that inhabited the forest. Hiccup nervously took his bow from his shoulder, placing an arrow on the string, "Something's not right."

He came into the bone yard as he usually did for a run, and found that the area had been trampled by something large. The bones of all the dragons had been smashed and crushed under something extremely heavy, and the ground was littered with giant foot prints and drag marks from wings larger than any dragon he'd ever seen. Following his usual path, the young heir found that the trail of the strange beast's path followed his own, and that there was a green residue on the ground and smeared on the plants.

Using his dagger to scrape some of the substance off of a leaf, he held it up to his nose, and immediately held it away once the smell hit him, sharp and disgusting. "Nightmare gel!" He gagged, flinging his blade to get the stuff off. Looking down the path, he saw that the Nightmare was, or at least appeared to be, much larger than the usual dragon of that species.

He also noticed that there were of shed skin along the path. Even what appeared to be the spines along the back of the Nightmare were shed, and discarded.

Gulping back his nerves, Hiccup moved down the path, hoping the beast would split off. Luckily for him, it did. He made a clear path to the beach as the Nightmare's trail moved off toward the forest once again. Hiccup was quick to get to work plucking up what the Gronkles had left, thankfully there seemed to be a great deal of silver in the area, wherever the Gronkles seemed to be getting it. Looking back at the ledge leading back to the beach, he saw that there were a great many bite marks in the rocks.

He didn't see any ore veins, meaning that whatever precious metals were there were in small fragments, and were being mixed together, and purified in the Gronkles stomachs. "Just glad it doesn't come out the other end," he said to himself, shivering. It also troubled him a little to think that eventually, the Gronkles would eat their way through the island. And Berk was not a large island.

Thrusting those thoughts aside, he laid his bow down, and went to work gathering up the silver. Soon, the bag on his shoulder bulging with the plate-like lumps, and weighed heavily on his shoulders. He smiled happily with his bounty, and reached for his bow...only to see a shadow pass over him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as a warm snort of breath hit him. A curious rumble sounded as he turned his head slowly.

The dragon was not a Nightmare. It was far too small for that, and black as pitch. Rounded paws with sharp claws led to sleek, powerful legs, and then to a body blacker than the darkest of nights, matched only by the darker patterns across its skin. It had massive wings for such a small body that were tucked loosely against its back. A whip-like tail was curled around it, a fan-like appendage flaring in and out slowly, as if ready to take off from the ground at the first notice of trouble. Flap-like ears were twitching on its round, blunt head, and large acid-green eyes with slit-like pupils that were widening and narrowing at him as if it wasn't sure if the boy in front of him was an enemy or a friend.

This was, without a doubt, the one dragon that no one had ever laid eyes on. The greatest prize for anyone that called themselves a Viking. This was the unholy offspring of lightning and death; the Night Fury.

Hiccup felt incredibly stupid. Of course a dangerous dragon would be able to move so silently that he wouldn't know it was there until it was too late. If there was a gigantic Nightmare around, why wouldn't there be something worse? And he had stupidly laid down his bow. There was still his swords, but if he went for them...how long would he last?

The Night Fury was looking him dead in the eyes, and then those same eyes looked down at his hand where he was half-way reaching for his bow, and those slits narrowed so impossibly that it seemed that they were gone, giving it a truly menacing look.

Slowly, very slowly, Hiccup withdrew his hand. He then reached for his sword belt, forcing a warning growl from the dragon. But the dragon then watched him as the belt came undone, and the blades strapped to his hips fell away to the ground. The Night Fury then became curious again, the pupils of its eyes becoming wider, and more square-like.

Moving as carefully as he possibly could, Hiccup stood, facing the most dangerous of all dragons in Berk's history. His hand rose unconsciously, thinking that, perhaps, this dragon was only hostile when threatened. His hand leveled up with the Night Fury's snout, and he waited. The dragon's breath was hot on his palm as it snorted, taking in his scent. Food or friend, that was the question.

For a moment, the dragon looked as though it was going to allow him to touch it, moving its snout closer, but then, it snarled, and flared its wings. Hiccup yelped and fell back on his rump as the dragon roared, a high-pitched keening roar that made his ears ring, and shot into the sky so fast he could barely make it out, and within moments, it was gone.

His heart pounding, Hiccup scrabbled for his bow, and shouldered his bag before he pelt away from the beach, running as fast as his legs could carry him, his chest heaving and burning. He stumbled into the bone yard, tripping over a piece of loose skin, and hit the ground, his vision graying just before he lost consciousness.

=x=

The ships returning from Helheim pulled into the harbor very slowly, undamaged by dragon fire, but with one ship missing. Stoick the Vast sighed at the sight of his home once again, feeling relieved to be back after such a disaster. But, as he looked at his villager, he saw something had changed. The homes and buildings were the same as they were when he'd left, perhaps a little better off than they had been after being repaired.

And there seemed to be a...doorway?...of some sort, built up on the hill near the plaza. And it seemed as if some of the women were wearing new dresses. No, that was part of it, but not the whole of it. The people themselves were...happier.

"What's been going on here?" Spitelout asked as he came up beside his chief. "What's with all the color?"

Stoick shrugged, "Johann must have had a profitable visit." He said, smiling a little at the happy faces of his people. It was a nice change. Snoggletog was right around the corner, and it was just the right time to host a meeting of the tribes on Berk. One face he looked for actively as they disembarked. His son was nowhere to be seen.

"Stoick!" Gobber roared happily as he hobbled toward the chief with little Olga bouncing on his shoulder. Stoick grinned and waved at the man as the little girl hopped down upon seeing Astrid taking her first steps back onto Berk.

"Auntie!" The little girl squealed as Astrid stooped down and scooped her up happily. "I missed you!"

Astrid giggled, and kissed her on the cheek, "I missed you, too, Olga!" She smiled at the little girl, notcing she was carrying a new doll, "Did you get this from Johann?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded, showing her the little doll with red yard for hair, "Uncle Hiccup bought it for me!"

"Bought?" Stoick asked, looking at the child, "Don't ye mean traded, child?"

Gobber chuckled, and thumped the chief on the shoulder with his good hand. "Nay, Chief, that boy o' yours has made some great changes while ye been gone." He said, smiling, "Ye should've seen how he handled the whales when they came," he said, "An' wait 'til ye see the storehouse he had the whole village workin' on! T'is full o' meat from the hunt!"

"Is that ship made of whale bones?" Spitelout asked, looking at the new ship being built in the harbor, "And is that a dragon hide sail?"

"Aye, like I said, he's been workin' like make since ye been gone." Gobber nodded, grinning hugely, "But ye should expect tai hear from Mildew once ye're settled. Them two had a bit o' a...disagreement."

"Is he alright?" Stoick asked, frowning. Mildew could be cruel at time, and worse at other times.

"Oh, aye, that he is," Gobber assured him, "Scared the tripe outta the ol' coot, but he had it comin'." He said, looking at Astrid, "Lassie, ye should go an' see the lad." He said, jerking his thumb toward the forge, "He went out on an ore run earlier this mornin', an' he came back a wee bit rattled."

Olga frowned at this, "But I wanna show Auntie her new house!"

"ACK! Lassie!" Gobber groaned, palming his face as Astrid looked at the little girl, "Ye were supposed to wait on that bit."

"What new house?" Astrid asked suspiciously, giving Gobber a very icy glare. "Gobber?"

Gobber sighed, looking from the girl to Stoick, "Er, t'is a bit o' a story, that...but...ah, Ruff sorta let slip tae Hiccup about...what happened tae ye when ye was a wee lass, ye see..."

Astrid looked horrified, "She did what?!"

"What do ye mean, Gob?" Stoick asked, and Spitelout looked nervous, slowly inching away from the chief. Stoick noticed this and grabbed him, hauling him back, "Oh, no ye don't, Spite, cause one of ye is gonna explain this right damned now!"

"You really don't need to know that, Chief, really!" Astrid said, looking slightly panicked, "It...it happened a long time ago!"

Stoick looked at the girl in Astrid's arms, "Olga, would ye mind tellin' me what all this is about?" He said, smiling at the little girl kindly.

Olga nodded, "Uncle Hiccup called us all to the big house and got really mad cause a bunch of people broke into Auntie's house when she was real little, like me, and took all her stuff, including her...her doughy!"

Stoick chuckled, "I think ye mean dowry, dearie," he said, patting the little girl on the head with one hand while his other tightened on Spitelout's shoulder. "So, little lady, why don't ye lead yer auntie up to her new house, while me and Uncle Spitelout have a nice...long...chat?"

Olga smiled and hopped out of Astrid's arms, taking the young woman by the hand and leading her away from the three men. Astrid cast an uneasy glance back at the chief, who was giving her a cheerful wave while Spitelout looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

"C'mon, Auntie!" Olga giggled, dashing ahead of her, "Everyone worked really hard on the house! You gotta see it!"

"Wait!" She dashed after the little girl, even though she felt that she should have stayed behind to calm her chieftain down, but the thought that she now had something to call her own again...it was too much to resist.

"SPITELOUT JORGENSON!"

The roar she heard was unmistakably Stoick's, but she found the will to ignore it as she followed the little girl. Up the familiar hill her father had claimed for their family's home. Down the familiar cobble stone path that lead to her front door.

Her breath caught in her throat as saw the wall sconces lit by the doors, made of goat horns. The wall, and roof of the kitchen had been rebuilt. The entire house looked...newly built. "Oh..." She followed the path to the door as Olga bounced up the steps. "Wait, Olga, I need to unlock the door." She said at the girl simply pushed the door open, much to her surprise.

Olga turned and grinned impishly at her, "Hiccup had to replace the locks so Papa and the others could fix every thing." She explained, "Don't worry, though, I know where he put the new key." She said as she went inside.

Astrid hesitated, but soon followed her inside. Once she did, her knees became weak. The bare shell of a house she remembered was gone. The entry way was decorated with a large rug of intricately woven threads in designs that looked foreign to her, but no less beautiful. The walls were lined with more goat horn sconces, unlit, a few small weapon wracks, and tables in the corners. Olga had pushed open the doors to the main hall, and Astrid gasped as she saw the large table in the center of the room in front of the fireplace, as well as the large chandelier hanging over it. On the second level, she could see other furnishings, while the doors to the kitchen were open, revealing shelves of food, and dishes ready to be used.

She looked off to her left, and saw the bedroom doors open. Slowly she stepped toward them and nearly began to cry. There was a bed there, a very large, and beautiful four-corner post bed. Stacked on the mattress were blankets of variously colored wool, from red, green and blue. And then, next to those, was a stack of clothes. Leggings, as well as a few extra leather skirts she favored with the spikes she loved. And next to those..woolen dresses, just like her mother used to wear, but these were newly woven, and very fine. There was one other dress that sat apart from the others. It wasn't made of wool like the others. It looked smoother, and seemed to like it would shine if the light were to touch it.

Olga came into the room, smiling at first before she saw Astrid's face, "Auntie...why're you crying?"

=x=

The crash of a hammer striking metal was the only sound he wanted to hear at the moment. There was too much on his mind to focus on anything else as he pounded out a new bar of silver furiously.

There was a giant Nightmare on Berk. The Night Fury was nesting on Berk. He had come into contact with the Night Fury, and lived.

" _Hide and pray that it does not find you._ " He had read from the Book of Dragons, " _Remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill._" Gobber had told him after rescuing him from a Gronkle during his dragon training.

' _Wrong,_ ' he thought, remembering those eyes as they looked at him with such curiosity, not unlike his own, ' _Wrong,_ ' those intelligent eyes that seemed to see him as something more than just an enemy. ' _Everything we thought we knew was WRONG!_ ' He growled and slammed his hammer down so hard that the grip snapped it in half, sending the head spinning through the air. A large meaty hand caught it as Hiccup spun around at the man's chuckle.

"Son, has anyone ever told ye that ye work too hard?" Stoick asked, smiling at his son.

"DAD!" Hiccup shouted, a genuine smile spreading across his face, rushing to the man and hugging him as much as his small arms could manage as his father returned the embrace happily.

"Ah, Hiccup, t'is good to see ye," he said, patting his son on the back, drawing back to look at the boy proudly, "Son, ye've...I know I've said this before, but ye have made me more proud than I ever could have imagined!" He said, looking at him tearfully, "I heard from Gobber all that ye'd done...for the village, for Astrid...an'...Odin's beard, lad, I was such a fool!" He said, clouting him on the shoulder as he looked at the young man in front of him, "Ye may not be a typical Viking like the rest o' us, but son, ye are every bit the chief I want ye tae be!"

"I'm just glad you're back," Hiccup smiled at him, "How did it go?"

At this, Stoick frowned and looked extremely troubled, "We...we did'nae find the nest...but I think we found out why the beasts have been attacking us." He said, shaking his head, "When we entered the gate, we were attacked by a massive beast with fangs longer than I am tall!"

Hiccup's eyes widened, "A dragon that big?" He breathed out, and then remembered, "Oh, Gods, Dad, there might be a giant here on Berk!"

"What?!" Stoick gasped, "What d'ye mean?"

Hiccup went into great detail as he told him of his run through the woods. The larger than normal Nightmare tracks, the shed skin, and the Night Fury. Stoick could hardly believe it. "A Titan Nightmare here," he breathed out, sinking down onto Hiccup's tool bench, "An' the Night Fury's nesting here? Thor!"

"Dad," Hiccup said, placing his hand on the man's shoulder, "I don't know about the Nightmare, but there was something about the Night Fury that didn't add up. It _didn't_ hurt me!"

Stoick nodded slightly shaken by his son's close call, "Aye, I'd heard about the encounter with the Krayfin from Gobber," he said weakly, "Gods, son, I doona know if ye are brave, lucky, or stupid!" He sighed, shaking his head, "Sorry, I should'nae have said it like that."

"It's okay," Hiccup shrugged, "We're Vikings. Brave, lucky and stupid are kind of our thing, right?"

Stoick chuckled, "Aye, that's the truth of it." He smiled, looking at the swords and dagger strapped to his side, "Ye...ye look like quite a warrior with that armor and those swords, lad." He said, admiring the rolled design of the pommels, and guards, then looked at his son, "Hiccup, I know ye think of things differently than we do, but please, if ye see that Night Fury again, please, just run. I...I cannae lose ye as I did yer mother...I'm not strong enough."

Hiccup nodded, "So, what do we do about the Nightmare?"

"Not sure," Stoick said, "A Titan-wing Nightmare has ne'er been seen on the island before now, and so we've never really dealt with one," he said, sighing as he looked out across the village, "But...ye've done so much for the village, and I'm not about tae let all yer hard work go tae waist because of a monster like that. When Nightmare's get that big, they get ten times more dangerous, and mean, too. If ye even see a glimpse of that beast, ye run, run as fast as ye can, and doona look back." He said, frowning, "In the mean time, I'll be needing you to work on some of your old inventions. Something strong enough to take down a dragon like the beast we encountered in Helheim's Gate."

Hiccup nodded, "I see what I can do, but you know I've never had any luck with those things in the past," he said, "But I promise that I will try."

"That's all I'll ask of ye, son," he said, nodding, rising, "I'm off, I need to see about sending messages tae the other tribes...this dragon will take all of us tae defeat, even if ye do come up with something that could kill it."

Hiccup smiled, "There's just one thing, Dad," he said, smiling as the man turned to him, "I, as acting chief of Berk, hereby return the duty of chief to you...Dad."

Stoick nearly burst out laughing, "I bet ye were waiting tae do that the day I left, eh?"

"You have no idea," Hiccup grinned, waving as the man left.

Stoick left the forge, grinning from ear to ear. On his way out, he saw Astrid leaning against the outside wall of the forge, her eyes red, and puffy from tears, and her face still streaked with the tears that had already fallen. The chief smiled at her, "I officially approve." He said to the girl, not even trying to hide his amusement as the girl snapped her head up. "Ye have no reason tae say no anymore, lass." He smiled, speaking quietly as Hiccup's hammering picked up again. "He loves ye, just as much as I loved his mother, an' still do."

Pressing her lips in a hard line, the girl gave a small nod.

Stoick grinned and left the girl on her own.

The hammering had stopped again, and Astrid felt it was probably best if she said something at least. She pushed off the wall and rounded the door to see Hiccup working some sort of press as he passed a slim silvery plate through it. Each time he did so produced a single silver coin which he tossed in a small chest next to him.

"Ah...ahem!" She said loudly, trying to get her attention.

Hiccup wasn't startled this time. He only turned to face her, a small smile on his face, "What can I do for you, M'lady?"

Astrid gave a small smile of her own. "I really think you've done enough." She stepped forward, encircling him with her arms, "Hiccup, you...you are the stubbornest person I've ever met!" She said against his chest, though there was no trace of irritation or anger in her voice, not even a bite. "Even when I asked you to do the impossible - "

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her, "I didn't do that so that you would marry me, Astrid," he said softly, "I did it because it was right, and needed to be done. I don't want anything else in return. Nothing. Just your smile, that's enough."

She pulled away from his chest, looking up at him with happy tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry...I lost the axe you made for me..." she said, blushing slightly, "You worked so hard on it, too."

"An axe can be replaced," he said, reaching up to brush away a tear, "You can't."

Laughter bubbled up in her chest, "Gods, that is so cheesy." She giggled, "You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet."

Hiccup shrugged, "Well, you did ask me to give you back your home," he said, smiling at her, "I know I can't bring back your family; I'm no god. The Skrill is kind of out there, but if that's what it takes, then I'll do whatever it takes."

Astrid shook her head, "You don't have to do any of that anymore," she smiled, reaching up on her tiptoes, and brushing her lips gently against his, "I already liked you from way back, but when I had nothing, I couldn't do anything. I was always afraid something would happen if I showed I cared about you."

"The villagers atoned for that," he said, "Forgiving them is up to you, though. I won't ask you to do it. They won't treat you like that again, though, I made sure of it." He said, "And you know I don't care about what they think of me, not anymore. I'm me, and that's all I'll ever be, son of the chief or not." He said, laying her head against his chest, petting her hair, "All I've ever wanted, since we were fifteen, was for you to love me. Do you?"

"I think I have for a long time," the girl relented with a blush, "you...no matter what, you've always been there for me. Whether it was making me laugh, or making sure I was safe in your own ways. You were always looking out for me."

Hiccup chuckled, "I still haven't heard you say it, though."

Astrid rolled her eyes and stepped away from him, smiling at the young man, "Then listen up, lover-boy, because I, Astrid Hofferson, Shield Maiden of Berk, am hopelessly in love with you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, the finest blacksmith to ever grace the island of Berk."

Hiccup nearly laughed, "You make me sound like some kind of storybook prince come to take the fair maiden away to his castle to live happily ever after." He grinned as she punched his chest lightly.

"I just poured my heart out, and you make a dumb joke?" Astrid giggled, "You're such a dork."

Hiccup smiled as he took her hand away from his chest, "Maybe, but at least I'm your dork, right?"

Astrid nodded, "And don't you forget it."

* * *

 _ **I had wanted to have this chapter out yesterday as a Christmas bonus, but looks like I'm a little late. But I hope you like it, because Hiccup has officially met Toothless. And Astrid confirms her feelings for Hiccup and vice versa.**_

 _ **Stoick's got Hiccup starting on new war machines, and he's also calling to the other tribes for help. Toothless has made a home on Berk, and the addition of a Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare(Hookfang?) will make things a lot more dangerous for Hiccup when he goes out gathering his metal.**_

 _ **Please review...and Happy Snoggletog (did I spell that right?)**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Great turn out for the last chapter, especially since Astrid accepted Hiccup's feelings.**_

 _ **7: The Dragon in the Forest**_

 _ **Toothless**_

* * *

The day was warmer than usual for the island of Berk. There was barely a breeze, which meant the sun beat down on the frigid island with all its fiery might. It would still seem cold to most outlanders, but to the Vikings that called the island home, it was a beautifully warm day. The perfect day for a picnic. Which was exactly what to young Berkians were enjoying at the moment.

It was highly inappropriate for a courting couple to be left alone during their courtship, but Hiccup was trusted enough, as the chief's son, to know better than to try any funny business with his intended, and Astrid was by far the most responsible person her age on the island. And everyone figured that they owed it to the pair after all that had happened. Astrid especially.

The young woman was thoroughly enjoying herself as she laid her head against Hiccup's surprisingly comfortable shoulder while the two laid out on a blanket after finishing a small meal under the branches of a large oak tree. "So you really passed out?" She asked, a smile evident in her voice, "Like, totally fainted?"

Hiccup grinned down at her, "Well, I had just run into a Night Fury," he pointed out, "What was I supposed to do?"

Astrid giggled rising up to look down at him, "Well, if it were me, I'd probably have that dragon's head on my wall, right between the two Nadders." She said. Hiccup rolled his eyes at her, marveling at how the sunlight caught in her hair. "What?" She asked, having caught him staring.

"Nothing," he said, reaching up to cup her cheek, "You're just the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Astrid hummed and leaned into his touch, covering his hand with her own.

"Always with the corny lines," she sighed, leaning over him, loose strands of her hair tickling his face, "But I love that about you." She leaned closer until her lips were hovering just over his.

Hiccups arms circled around her slim figure, "I always aim to please, M'lady." He leaned up, closing the remaining distance between them. It was the first real kiss they had shared since becoming a couple, not counting the small pecks he'd gotten, though he probably should have. But the kiss they were sharing now was something entirely different.

Astrid had always been a bit hesitant with her shows of affections, but that was all in the past now. Of course, she was still shy about openly showing her affections around other, including Stoick, but that didn't bother him at all. Every moment he could spend with her was precious to him, and he preferred to have her all to himself.

A soft moan escaped her as she felt his hands on her back through the material of her dress, yes, she had actually, for the first time in her life, worn a dress. Naturally, she had wanted to try them on when she first found them, and now seemed like the perfect chance. Hiccup certain hadn't seemed to mind, if his slack jaw had been anything to go on.

She leaned away from him, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing coming a little harder than usual, "You're also a really good kisser, you know?"

"Thank Freya for that," he breathed out, "I thought I'd be bad at it. You know, not too popular with the local ladies and all."

Astrid burst into a fit of giggles at this, and laid back against his shoulders, "Well, while I'm a little put off that I never had any sort of competition," she relented, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth of the combined bodies, "I'm certainly glad I don't have to share you. I guess I'm a little greedy like that, huh?"

"I don't mind," he said, smiling as he wrapped one arm around her while he placed the other behind his head, sighing, "But, Astrid, about the dragons - "

Astrid shook her head, "They killed my family," she said, not willing to think about their fate, "I know you want to think of better ways to win this war, but please, Hiccup, don't ask me to look at them differently." She said, levering herself back up, "I'm not asking you to choose between your ideals, or ideas...just...please don't make me change...not with this."

Hiccup sighed, a slight frown on his face, "I don't want you to change, Astrid, I mean, I should hate dragons, too. They took my mom." He said, sitting up with her against his chest, "But it's different for me. I never knew her, so I don't feel the pain you do. And yeah, I've been trying to be a just like the others for most of my life until I realized I just wasn't cut out t be a dragon fighter." He said, scooting back against the tree with her following him, "And then...I find this amazing beach with all sort of metals I've never seen before, and find out that it's all been produced by Gronkles. And when I'm minding the village, I come face to face with probably the world's largest dragon, and I touch it, Astrid, actually touch it!" He gained an excited smile on his face that made Astrid smile in turn.

In truth, she thought it was amazing that he had been so brave, and that the dragon hadn't eaten him right there and then given how aggressive the one she had seen was.

"And then, when I'm out gathering metal again," he said, smiling down at her with those amazed green eyes she loved so much, "I put down my bow for not even five minutes, and there's a Night Fury sitting right behind me." He sighed, looking up through the branches of the tree, "A dragon will always go for a kill," he recited from his days in dragon training, "But there it was, and it was probably watching for the entire time, just sitting there, watching me, like it was curious about me, not five feet from me!"

"And then it flew away," Astrid put in, sighing. "You came really close to getting killed again, and doing something stupid."

"I know, but," Hiccup sighed, not knowing how to word it, "I know it sounds strange, but I don't think it would've hurt me unless I went for my weapons."

Astrid shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm still not changing my mind, babe," she said stubbornly, "You'd have to do something pretty spectacular to do that."

Hiccup chuckled, giving her a small squeeze around her shoulders. "Don't tempt me, Astrid," he smiled, pressing a kiss against her forehead, "You'll find that I tend to dream and dream big," he tipped her chin up, smiling warmly, "Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. Dreams of you by my side, of flying through the air on dragon wings. Seeing far off lands beyond the archipelago."

Astrid giggled, "Well, whatever dreams you have, and wherever they take you," she sighed, and snuggled back into his shoulder, "You'd better believe I'm gonna be right there with you. Just don't go sprouting wings on me, okay?"

"Only in my dreams." He sighed, closing his eyes, and leaning his head against hers. Within moments, both were sleeping soundly.

And both were unaware of the pair of eyes watching them in interest.

=x=

Stoick sighed as he stood among his people in the council room, "As ye all know, our recent venture tae search out the nest has yielded nothing more than failure," he said, "But, this last voyage did bring about a something new. As we entered the fog of Helheim's Gate, we were attacked almost immediately by a colossal dragon. A beast so large that its teeth were longer than I am tall," he looked at the varying reactions around the room as the information sank in.

"What do we do about a beast like that?" Bjorn asked loudly for most of the others wanted to know the same.

Stoick sighed, "We have tae prepare for the worst," he said, frowning, "The beast flew at us, so it may decide tae leave that island in search of food. Astrid figures that the raids happen because that giant beast is forcing the smaller dragons to hunt for it, like a bee hive. It's their queen, and they are the workers, and I bet she eat them just as well if they've not fed her enough."

Mildew thumped his staff, "And what would ye have us do, Chief," the man asked shrilly, "Are we tae make offerings tae this beast? Will we have to offer up our people as its food?"

Gobber rolled his eyes and shook his hook at the man, "Ye be the only one that would say such a t'ing, ye old sheep plougher!" His comment drew laughter from those that knew Mildew, and an angry squawk from the man himself, "Now, fer those o' ye that have half a brain, keep listenin' else I might just usin' ye as bait fer the beast m'self!

" _Thank you_ , Gobber," Stoick growled, shaking his head, "Now there's not going tae be any offerings tae this beast. We've lost enough without turning on each other, again I might add," he glared at Spitelout, and some of the others gathered, recalling what he'd been told of the Hofferson home. "What I've done is I've called a meeting with all of the other tribes here on Berk. Snoggletod is fast approaching, and the raids are done for a few months. Together, we chiefs will decide how best tae deal with the dragon. If it dies, then I'm almost certain that the raids will be over for good, or at least be less frequent. But needless tae say, that giant has tae go, before it decides to go looking for food on its own!"

"Chief," Freydis Thorston said, "When you said you called out to all the chiefs, did you mean - "

"Aye, Freydis," Stoick nodded, "I called out to Alving and Olaf as well," he said, feeling slightly shameful. "The Outcasts and Lava-louts are just as beset by dragons as we are, and if they had the chance to end it, then they may help. If not, then to Hel with them. Those icy plains are for cowards and oath-breakers, and anyone that wouldn't want this war done with is just that!"

"Then explain why ye 'ave that whelp o' yers working on 'is contraptions again," Mildew shrilled, gaining murmurs of agreement, "When 'e was tinkerin' with those things 'efore, 'e nearly killed us all!"

Stoick turned to the man, who shrank back under the withering glare on the man's face, "Hiccup has grown since then, and he's quite capable with his inventions. Who do ye think services the catapults?" He said, sneering at the man, "And I heard about the crack ye made about the boy's mother...my wife if ye remember correctly, Mildew. Insult either one of them again, and I'll follow up on Gobber's threat, and feed ye tae that thing!"

"The boy is brave," whispered Gothi in her rasping voice, gaining all of their attention. "He has Valka's mind, yet he has his father's as well when he thinks of his people." She smiled at the chief, "All of us were present and watched as he bravely reached out to the Luminous Krayfin, and did what no other has ever done. And the Krayfin did not attack." She thumped her staff, "I do not have the sight, but I can tell you all that this boy will bring a great upheaval to us all."

"Ye see!" Mildew shrilled again, "The wise woman even thinks 'e's - "

Gothi thumped her staff loudly against the table, silencing the old sheep herder, "I think that he will make a good chief when Stoick thinks he is ready," she said, glaring at the man, "Do not let your hatred cloud your already dimming eyes. He is no longer considered a 'Hiccup'. He is strong, and just. Just as his father wished him to be. He is a dreamer. A thinker. Such people are sorely needed in these trying times."

Stoick inclined his head to the elder, "Thank ye for yer kind words, Elder Gothi." He said, turning to address his people again, "When the Lava-louts get here, we must watch them, even though we have extended the hand of peace, that does not mean they will act accordingly with that one-browed maniac as their chief." He said, "And as fer Hiccup, he's going to be coming up with new weapons tae combat that beast. Just catapults will not be enough. He already designed something that lookls like a giant bow that will launch spears at the beast - "

"Ballista, he calls it," Gobber put in, holding a role of parchment, "An' I have tae admit, the thing looks pretty damned powerful. And easy enough for someone half Hiccup's size tae use. Pull two levers, and the spear's away."

"That might work," Ack said, "Spears are always good. And with that new metal the lad's been scrounging up, they'll be sharper than dragon fangs."

"Now if he can only find a way out of Astrid's arms." Flay commented with a toothy smile, which amused everyone more than it should have, including the chief. He did not see his son away from Astrid any time soon. But Hiccup hadn't been shirking his duties, far from it. He seemed to be working doubly hard as well as making time to spend with the girl he had been pining after for the better part of seven years.

=x=

A familiar huff of hot breath began to rouse him. The sound of snuffling annoying him, if only because whatever it was that was doing it was doing so annoyingly close his ears. And then a snort right into his left ear had him snapping his eyes open to a familiar black rounded snout, and acid green eyes looking at him curiously.

The Night Fury was back.

Looking down at Astrid, he saw that she had yet to be awakened by the beast's noise, and smiled. As slowly as he had the first time, he raised his right hand to the beast's snout. He closed his eyes, having complete trust in the animal. The snorting came again as the beast's breath heated up his hand, so close...and then he felt the scaly, yet smooth hide of the dragon pressing its nose into his palm. He opened his eyes, and found that the Night Fury had done the same thing. It's eyes were completely closed with its nose against his palm.

Hiccup felt his heart take off like a Speed Stinger on open ground. Unlike the Krayfin, whose skin had bee smooth and slippery to the touch, the Night Fury's was slightly rough because of its scales, yet it fell warm, and smooth because the scales around it face were smaller, and closer to regular skin than the rest if its body, less armored, just like the smooth underbelly.

The dragon opened its eyes, and Hiccup offered the beast a smile as he drew back. The Night Fury cocked its head curiously, before the lips quivered, and parted.

The boy's eyes widened in wonder as teh dragon attempted what he could only call a smile...albeit a toothless smile as the mouth appeared to be nothing but gums. "Huh, I could've sworn you had - " Astrid shifted against him, startling the dragon slightly, and its teeth appeared right out of the gummy sheaths, "teeth!" He gulped, and nearly laughed, as the beast looked at the girl in his arms. He gave her a gentle nudge, "Astrid."

"Mm," she mumbled sleepily, "Hic, I'm not ready to wake up, yet."

Hiccup smirked, "Well, I think you'd better, because there's a dragon sniffing at you right now, M'lady." He said as "Toothless" leaned forward and gave a small sniff at the girl.

"Haha, very...funny..." She said, opening her eyes when she felt the dragons breath. Panic gripped her as soon as she saw the large black head so near her, "Oh, Freya..."

Hiccup's arm tightened around her reassuringly, "Shh, just don't move," he told her, reaching his hand up again toward the beast. Toothless turned his head toward the boy's offered hand, looking back and forth between it and the girl. Astrid fully expected teh beast to bite his hand off at any moment. But then she watched in pure amazement as the dragon gave a rumble in its throat, and rubbed its had against Hiccup's hand.

"This...this isn't happening," Astrid breathed out as the dragon purred and warbled while Hiccup scratched him. "This is a Night Fury!"

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah, and he's not even attacking us, is he?" He smiled as Toothless crooned happily, "You're not mean at all, are ya, bud?"

Toothless gave a shake of his head not unlike a dog, and looked to Astrid, who was still thoroughly petrified, "Uh, Hiccup, it-he's looking at me," she mumbled.

Hiccup smiled and took hold of one of her hands, hand slowly held it out to the dragon along with his own, "It's okay, Astrid," he promised, looking at the dragon, "hey there, big guy, this is Astrid," he said, as the girl allowed her hand to be stretched out in front of her, too stunned to refuse as the dragon sniffed at her, scenting both her, and the boy that he had taken a liking to.

He pressed against her hand, arching into her like a cat, and Astrid gasped, her body trembling, "It...It's so warm..." she breathed out, her eyes wide with shock as she slowly began to pet the dragon. "I...I always thought they were cold to the touch..."

"Some, maybe," Hiccup said, taking his hand away. "But not this one."

Toothless sat back when Astrid pulled her hand away, and began backing away as the pair of them stood up. He say on his haunches as Astrid stood stiffly while Hiccup went about gathering up their things, not even the least bit afraid of the legendary dragon no one had ever seen before outside of himself.

"Hiccup," the girl looked at the young man, "I don't understand...why...why isn't he attacking us?"

Hiccup smiled as he rolled up their picnic blanket, "Well, you don't have a weapon, and he already know's that I wouldn't hurt him," he said, admiring her slim figure in that dress, "It's like I thought before, he wouldn't attack unless he felt threatened."

The dragon sidled up to him, sniffing at the basket their lunch had been in, the boy laughing before reaching in and pulling out a chunk of leftover bread, and letting the dragon sniff at it before he gently took it in his mouth and ate it.

Astrid didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, though she knew all dragons could no longer be held accountable for their actions, she still blamed them for her parents' death. But this dragon was far from the monsters she had grown up fighting tooth and nail with. It was downright friendly when she looked at it closely, and strangely beautiful when she noted all of the darker strip patterns all over its body.

Giving Toothless one last scratch under his chin, he turned to the Shield Maiden, "We should be heading back," he said, "Toothless might be friendly, but who knows how that Nightmare would act if we ran into it?"

"Toothless?" Astrid giggled, looking at the beast, "Why name him that of all things?"

In answer the dragon gave a small croon, and showed her his gummy smile that had her covering her mouth with laughter. "Oh, Gods, I -" She sputtered at the ridiculous sight.

Hiccupt patted the dragon's head, "We've gotta go, bud, but I promise we'll be back." He said, looking at Astrid, who could only nod. He then reached his free arm around her waste, and the two strolled back toward the village. Toothless watched them go, his head tilted like a puppy's, a small croon coming from him. And then, slowly, he began to tail after them.

=x=

"So how was it?" Ruffnut asked as she helped Astrid out of her dress that evening, "Your little date with Hiccup?"

Astrid, muffled by the dress being pulled over her head, grumbled, something about nosy friends. But the girl couldn't blame her. Good gossip was good gossip. And that was rare on such small islands like Berk. "It was nice, I'll admit," she said before reaching for her night dress, "I always knew he was sweet, and all, but this is the first time I got to know just how sweet."

Ruffnut giggled, "I've been trying to tell you for years, Astrid," she said, grinning, "and just wait until you see him with his shirt off!"

"What?!" Astrid gave her a sharp look, "Oh, no you don't, Ruff! You had your shot at him! He's mine!"

Ruffnut sputtered out a laugh, "Oh, please! He's so not my type!" She assured her friend, "But Gods if he isn't nice to look at," she said, fanning herself a little, "He may not be the typical Viking, honey, but he does have nice muscles. Who knew non-bulging muscles could be so attractive?"

"Uh, you've met Snotlout, right?" Astrid said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "If anyone could turn you off big, bulging muscles, it's him."

The Thorston girl sat beside her, giving a slight nod, "Yeah, well, now that Hiccup's off the table, I don't have a lot of options, and I don't know about you, but Fishlegs isn't exactly my type, either, so Snot's my best bet, unless some cute sailor happens to wash up on our shores."

Astrid giggled, "We're never that lucky," she pointed out. "There's always someone from another tribe?"

"Nah, who'd be around to keep Tuff out of trouble?"

" _Out_ of trouble?" Astrid asked, giving her friend a slant-eyed look.

"Okay, okay, so I'd cause half the trouble and blame it all on him," she relented, smiling a bit, "But I can't think of living anywhere else besides here. Who wants to go to another tribe where nobody knows you and you don't know anybody?" She said, "Besides, I doubt anyone else would appreciate the famous Thorston humor."

"I know I don't," Astrid smirked at her, "I'm still wondering how you convinced Camicazi to help you out that one time when the Bog-Burglars were visiting."

Ruffnut grinned, and started polishing her nails on her tunic, "Oh, that was easy. She claimed to be the best thief in all the tribes and I dared her to prove it by stealing Spitelout's favorite stuffed Nightmare head. Scaring the shit out of Gobber was just the bonus for us. An insanely hilarious bonus."

"Gobber still complains about ruining his favorite pair of undies," Astrid rolled her eyes, "As if we needed to hear that!"

"Speaking of hearsay, I heard from Mom that Stoick called a meetin of all the tribes, including the Lava-louts, and the Outcasts," the girl frowned, crossing her arms, "The Outcasts I can kinda get, but those Lava-louts are trouble, we've been fighting with them for years, now. And do you have any idea how they treat their women?"

"Not good," Astrid shook her head, "And I head that their leader is a real piece work. A giant, from what some of the others say."

Ruffnut shrugged, "And one huge-ass eyebrow across his head. Looks like one of those fuzzy worms you see around Spring time."

Astrid giggled, "I wouldn't let him hear you say that," she said, smiling, "He's not rumored to be the nicest of people."

"I don't plan to be around when he gets here," Ruffnut said, rising from the bed and heading out, "See you tomorrow, Astrid."

Astrid gave a small wave, "Goodnight, Ruff. Watch out on your way home." She smiled and went about blowing out candles until only the one by her bed was lit. Sighing happily as she settled into her soft, comfortable bed, she blew out the last light, falling asleep in moments, dreaming of the day she had had. And the dragon the had entered into her life along side the boy who had befriended him.

* * *

 _ **Shorter chapter, I know, but this was just an intro for Toothless. Now, some may think that Astrid's reaction was far too lax, but keep in mind that she no longer has a weapon, and Hiccup was as calm as a...Hotburple in the shade :p**_

 _ **Now, as for the tribes, the Lava-louts will all be OCs, and Alvin will be slightly different.**_

 _ **Anyway, Happy New Year, and please leave a review if you liked the chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**8:**_ _ **The Meeting of the Tribes**_

 _ **How To Introduce Your Dragon**_

* * *

Hiccup groaned as he stretched his tired muscles from working in the forge all day. Gobber had seen him working leather for the biggest part of his day, but couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what he was making. Shaking his head, the old smith had gone back to pressing silver coins from the stock Hiccup had brought back a few days ago after his little stint in the forest with Astrid. He had teased the boy relentlessly about it, of course, but the young man had been more than happy to set things straight; I.E. he threatened to tell Astrid.

Now, however, whatever his apprentice was working on had been either finished, or simply set aside as the boy reached in his store of metal, pulling out a large amount of the strange black metal he had used to forge the black war axe he'd given to Johhan.

He then witnessed something that brought a proud tear to his eye as Hiccup went to work like a madman. The metal was thrown into the smelter, liquified and poured into mold for a long round bar. He let it cool and stiffen enough for him to harden it in the acid, setting it aside when it was hard enough after two reheating processes. He then poured out a larger amount of the metal, and cooled it before going to work with his hammer.

Hours passed by as the old smith simply watched him work. Taking shape before his eyes was by far the most beautiful weapon he had ever seen, and Gobber was happy to say that it was being crafted by a mastersmith greater than he had ever seen. And he had trained him personally.

It was an axe, a massive, single-bladed axe as black as pitch. As the bladed was heated and quenched repeatedly, Gobber could tell that this weapon was meant to cut through metal, and dragon bone. Something to be reckoned with. It was well passed the midnight hour when Hiccup had started sharpening it. And soon he tested it on a bar of hardened iron. Rather than worrying that he would shatter such a fine weapon, he watched with fascination as the young man hefted the axe with both hands and swung it down. The screeched of metal passing through metal briefly reached his ears as the axe blade struck the ground and the iron fell away in two pieces.

Satisfied with the sharpness, he went to work with a small hammer and chisel as he etched swirl-like markings into the the blade. By the time he was finished with the blade, dawn was breaking across the island, and Gobber had long since fallen asleep. The blade was now attached to the shaft, and ready to be used in battle.

He then smiled as he wrapped the weapon in leather and hid it away from any prying eyes. Namely those of his beloved. He then picked up the leather piece he had been working on, and snuck out of the forge. His destination? The edge of the forest where a certain friend was waiting. It had surprised Hiccup to wake up the very morning after his picnic with Astrid to find a curious Night Fury poking around the edges of the sleepy little village as it began to wake. Thankfully, no one caught sight of the friendly beast, or else he wouldn't be so friendly anymore.

In those days, away from the prying eyes of the village, and under the pretenses that he had gone after more metals, which he had, Hiccup learned a great deal about dragons through his new friend. Toothless was a young dragon, probably no older than himself and just coming into his Titan-wing size, and shed his scales vigorously one day while Hiccup watched, bemused as the dragon rolled, scritched and scratched to rid himself of the annoyances.

He had then found a patch of long grass that smelled distinctly like garlic to Hiccup, and rolled himself in it like a cat when it found a patch of catnip. Hiccup dubbed the unknown plant as dragon nip for the effects it seemed to have on his draconic friend. Playing with the dragon had yielded much information about their behavior. While using his blade to reflect light, he found the Toothless would chase after, also like a cat, and just loved to have his scales scratched, and, in certain places, practically fainted when Hiccup so much as brushed a nail there. (He found one such spot under the dragon's chin right beneath his jaw.) The sight of a euphoric dragon nearly sent the young man into fits of laughter because of the goofy draconic grin on his face.

He also found out that there was another plant on Berk that knocked a dragon clean out if ingested. It was a root. A large tree root that grew under the large fast growing trees that kept their branches in an oval shape. Toothless, upon discovering one such root, had gotten extremely aggressive over it when a Nadder had found it as well. The ensuing fight had nearly cost the Nadder greatly. Toothless' hide was incredibly tough for a dragon his size, though, considering Gronkle hide could snap normal iron, it shouldn't have been so surprising. But he hadn't expected to see Nadder spines bounce right off of him like they were nothing.

While the dragons had been fighting, however, Hiccup had quickly gotten in there and dragged the root over to the cliffs, and tossed it in...but not before Toothless had taken a bite out of it. To poor dragon was out like a torch for the rest of the day after that. Hiccup made a mental note to try boiling some of the root down and dipping arrows into it for a tranquilizer at a later date, when he knew a dragon wouldn't smell it and go berserk. The smell from the root was enough to make him gag, and he could only imagine how far off a dragon could scent it.

Now, however, was probably the boldest, stupidest thing he'd ever thought of doing...putting a saddle on the back of a Night Fury.

Yes, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was quite possibly the most visionary Viking of his age group, but even he had to admit that this was about as crazy as Norbert the Nutjob's entire tribe.

He found Toothless in his usual spot down by the beach where he'd first snuck up on him, feasting on a large tuna he'd brought in. As Hiccup hopped down from the ledge the dragon saw him and gave a happy croon, bounding over to him excitedly. "Hey there, bud," he said, holding up the saddle for him to see, "Look what I've got!"

Toothless gave the saddle a half-lidded look before rolling his shoulders and bounding off, "Hey!" Hiccup soon gave chase to the dragon in a sort game of tag before he finally caught the beast, and quickly fastened all of the buckles, and straps comfortably around his friend. For himself he had made a harness to keep himself in the saddle, including a set of iron loops that would attach him to the saddle.

Toothless almost seemed eager when Hiccup slowly climbed up into the saddle, and situated himself. "Okay," he breathed out, his heart beating like mad, "What d'ya say we try this nice and slow, huh, bud?"

That was his first mistake in flying Toothless. He was talking to a Night Fury, not some heavy-set Gronkle, and Toothless did not do slow. So, instead of his slow and easy takeoff, Hiccup was suddenly very thankful for his saddle supports that kept him there, because Toothless bounded down the length of the beach rapidly, his wings spread, and with a single flap of those dark curtains, they were airborne.

Hiccup's yelled, whipped away by the wind, was half-way between laugh and scream as the boy held onto the saddle for dear life, letting the dragon lead him for the moment. The isle of Berk, he saw when he looked back at his home, was rapidly disappearing beneath them as Toothless continued up and up until Hiccup felt them passing through a wall of moisture, and realized that he'd just gone through a cloud!

He then leaned to the left, and Toothless banked, arrowing them back toward Earth. The familiar scream of the Night Fury as it picked up speed sounded through the air as the shot down. He pulled back, and they leveled out over the waves. Grinning like a mad berserker, Hiccup started laughing as he and Toothless kicked up a spray over water as the skimmed the waves beneath them.

He sat back, and the pair of them shot into the air again, and Hiccup felt like he was a dragon himself for a moment. They burst back into the clouds, letting Hiccup see what only the gods had seen. Looking out over the vast world below him, he felt free for the first time in his life. Like nothing could touch him. Looking out across the horizon he felt a pull...a drive to keep going, and never stop...

"Time to go home, bud," Hiccup sighed, feeling guilty. Toothless gave him a small worried croon, and he reached down and patted his neck, "It's okay, pal...I just need to go back...I'm not dragon, you know?"

A warble of acceptance sounded below him and Toothless rolled into a turn that took them screaming back toward Berk.

=x=

Humming a soft tune, Astrid, her face dusted with flour, and berry stains, checked the oven, and smiled. Her mother's recipe for apple dumplings was always a huge success with the family, especially her father. She just hoped that they did the same with Hiccup. She smiled at the thought of cooking something for him. He hadn't even given her a betrothal gift, and she was already acting like a wife.

As she set the dumplings out to cool, she heard a rush of wings from outside, "What the -?" She trailed off as she came out of the kitchen and went to the door. As the door creecked open, she was greeted by a familiar croon and a goofy, gummy smile as Toothless' head bobbed into view. "Toothless?!" She shrieked as the dragon warbled and licked her face, "Ugh, no! Toothless! Bad dragon!" She found herself giggling as she tried to push the beast away.

A low chuckle sounded from above her, "He's just happy to see you," Hiccup said from his perch on the dragon's back, and it was only then that the girl noticed that the dragon was wrapped in leather straps and harnesses. And that her boyfriend was perched in a saddle!

"Hiccup?!" Astrid yelped in astonishment, "What are you doing up there?!"

Hiccup laughed again at the shock on her face even as she scratched under Toothless' chin. "Well, I'm riding a dragon," he said, stating the obvious, grinning madly, "And you won't believe how amazing it is!"

"You..." Astrid was looking from the boy, to the dragon and the saddle, growing paler by the second, "You _flew_?! On a _dragon_?!" She yelped as Hiccup slid from the saddle, her mouth gaping, "You...I...gods, Hiccup!" She punched him in the shoulder.

"OW! Hey!" Hiccup yelped and dodged another blow, "Astrid!"

"You mutton-headed smith!" Astrid roared, chasing after him, thowing wild punches, "You, you munge-bucket! Come back here!"

"Calm down, Astrid, please!" Hiccup yelled, trying desperately to keep out of her reach, "I can explain!"

"You'd better!" The Shield Maiden roared, "Because I am just dying to know why my boyfriend's so suicidal!"

Toothless, for his part, figured it was better for him to stay out of this mess. His friend and his mate could sort this out themselves without him sticking his nose into a Fire Worm nest. He had done that as a hatchling, and that had not ended well. Beside that, he smelled a strange human, and decided it was high time to hide before he was in the middle of something else.

Meanwhile, Astrid tackled Hiccup to the ground, and was pummeling his chest as much as she could manage given that Hiccup was blocking most of her onslaught. "Why do you have to keep putting yourself at risk," she snapped, aiming a punch at his face, only to be caught before she could make contact, "Every time turn around, you always seem to be bedridden because of some stupid stunt, whether it be that Skrill!" He caught her other wrist, "Or blundering into a burning house!"

"Oh, come on!" Hiccup rolled them over so that he was pinning her to the ground instead, "You can't blame me for that one, you'd do the same thing!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is!"

"Excuse me," an amused voice said, causing both of them to look up. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Stoick the Vast smiled, stroking his beard, his eyes twinkling with mirth upon seeing the pair rolling on the ground. "Ye two look right cozy with each other like that."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other for a moment, and realized how compromising it looked to have him pinning her to the ground and kneeling between her legs before they both blushed furiously, proclaiming, "This isn't what it looks like!"

Stoick let out a booming laugh, and hauled the pair up from the ground, dusting his son off, "If I had one o' yer silver coins fer every time I heard something like that!" He laughed, looking at the two of them, "I'm almost sorry I missed the start of that little fiasco, but I'll have tae wait for the wedded days tae see more."

"Dad," Hiccup moaned, thoroughly embarrassed, while Astrid remained silent, though a very pretty blush remained on her cheeks. "So, er, what are you doing up here?"

Still chortling, the large man reached into his belt, and pulled out a slightly tarnished pendant, "I wanted tae give this tae ye, son. T'was my betrothal gift tae yer mother." He said as the boy looked stunned, and Astrid turned Nightmare-red again. "When ye're ready, I expect ye to give it tae the right girl...but that's when ye're _both_ ready." He smiled at Astrid he wouldn't meet his gaze, but he could see a tiny smile on her lips, while his son was grinning up at him. "Anyway, Hiccup, we're expecting Oswald and Dagur tae show up first, as well as Berth and little Cami," he sighed, "And while I'm not tae fond o' them the Meatheads should be right on their heels, as well as the Hysterics. I'm no' sure about the Outcasts, or the Lava-louts, and I honestly hope they don't come. We have enough trouble around here without those maniacs causing more."

"I'm not going anywhere today, Dad, so I'll be around," Hiccup nodded, casting a small glance at Astrid, "I'll be at the forge...or here, if I haven't worn out my welcome?"

"You haven't," Astrid smiled.

Stoick cleared his throat, "Right, no funny business, ye two," he chuckled, "I don't need tae be a granddad just yet, ye know."

"DAD!/STOICK!" Both teen shouted.

Stoick bellowed with laughter, and went back toward the village, leaving the two blushing teens. Hiccup, holding the pendant tightly, turned and smiled at the girl, "I know we haven't been courting for the full six months, but - " He was cut off as Astrid hugged him around the middle.

"You don't have to say anything more," she sighed, "Besides, it'll take a while prepare for the wedding, won't it?"

"Definitely." The young man groaned, "Dad'll want all of the other tribes in attendance, and then he'll want to age a barrel of mead just for us, then there's - "

Astrid giggled, and stretched up to kiss his cheek, "Babe, you're thinking of the traditional weddings we used to have." She said, grinning at him, "With the dragons still a problem, it'll be a small ceremony. You know, blessings of the gods, exchanging swords...if I had one."

Hiccup laughed at that, "You really want to, then?" He said, taking her by the shoulders, and looking at her with the brightest of smiles. "You want to marry me?"

"Well, granted that I wouldn't mind a little more time between the two of us," she relented, but there was still a smile on her face, even as Hiccup's dropped slightly, "Oh, Hiccup, don't worry about that! I do want to marry you, seriously! Your dad's just...he's as worried as I am, actually."

Hiccup snorted, "Neither of you need to worry," he assured her, "I'm not planning on dying anytime soon." He said, taking a deep breath, "Now, is that apple dumplings I smell, or is Toothless just getting into the fruit barrels?"

"He'd better not!" She giggled, looping her arm through his, "Come on, I just pulled them out of the oven." The two of them entered the Hofferson home, smiling ear to ear, "And then you can tell me all about flying on Toothless."

Hiccup smirked, "Why tell you, when I could show you?"

=x=

It was evening before the horns started to blow, signalling the arrival of a ship. Another blast called out, and another ship. On the third blast the message was clear: The tribes had begun to come together.

As Stoick predicted, the Berserkers were first to arrive. Followed closely by the Bog-Burglars. The Hysterics were right behind them, and the Meatheads right on their tails. Gobber swore that he could already here Norbert's rambling from the docks as he, Stoick and Hiccup with Astrid at his side went to meet them. Around the girl's neck, Stoick noticed, was the family pendant, shined and scrubbed clean.

The man chuckled and knocked his son in the shoulder, while the boy smiled at him...and promptly dove off the dock to avoid a spear chucked at him from the Berseker's new chieftain. "Dammit, Dagur!" Hiccup roared from the water, "You Loki worshiping weasel!"

"And proud of it!" Dagur yelled right back, grinning madly as he jumped in, and joined his Blood Brother in his swim, all the while Oswald, and a dark-haired young woman just shook their heads from the deck. Stoick chuckled and reached down to haul both young men back up onto the docks.

"Ye two are worse than true brothers, ye know that?" He said to the two dripping men, and planted them on their feet, "Thor's beard, ye remind me of meself and Spitelout when we were young!"

"That a good thing?" Dagur asked his Brother as he scrubbed water out of his hair and beard.

"Beats me," Hiccup relented, grinning at the older teen, and grasped his forearm, "Welcome back, Dagur."

"Chief Dagur, now," he smiled at him, returning the gesture, "Good to see you, Brother Hiccup." He then spotted a smiling Astrid standing behind them, "Hello to you, too, Astrid!"

Astrid, smiling at their antics, just shook her head, "Dagur, I'd appreciate it if you would try to skewer my Promised." She said, gesturing to the sopping wet Hiccup, "We do need to be married before the next in line is born, you know?"

This got the young man's attention very quickly as he looked to and from Hiccup and the young Shield Maiden, a huge smile adorning his face as he grabbed the younger man in a bone-crushing hug, laughing loudly, "Ah, Brother, you've done it!" He cried elatedly as his ship pulled into dock, "I knew you'd win her heart!"

Hiccup squirmed out of his grasp, laughing as he was set down beside her while Astrid placed her arm loosely around his waist, "It was always his," she admitted with a slight coloring of her cheeks, "It just took me a long time to see it."

Hiccup carefully wrapped his arm around her, "Thank Freya for that."

Dagur groaned in mock disgust, "Ugh, mush!"

Oswald chuckled as he and the young woman with him walked onto the deck, "Don't knock it until ye've been in love yerself, lad."

"Heather!" Astrid shouted, rushing forward to hug the girl, who returned it.

"Astrid, it's so good to see you again!" The young woman said, "And engaged!"

Dagur elbowed Hiccup in the ribs jokingly, "So how many Skrill did you have to take down to get her out of swearing to be a Shield Maiden?"

"None," Hiccup smirked, crossing his arms, "Just a little bit of time, and a little bit of aggravation."

Stoick nodded to that, "Aye, a lot's happened since ye're last visit, me boy. And there's a lot tae be said."

"Ah, boring!" Dagur grinned, "We can save that junk for when everyone gets here! Is that a giant bow?!"

=x=

The Great Hall had never been so packed before. The visiting chieftains had brought many warriors with them, ready for a fight to break out. None more so than that of the Bog-Burglar chieftess, and her heir.

And, after meeting the imposing woman, Hiccup could see why people believed that she'd killed with those breasts before...and more than likely, those men had gone to their deaths gladly. He got more than a few elbows from Astrid when she caught him unintentionally staring.

"Why have ye called us here, Stoick," Bertha growled out, her massive battleaxe on the table in front of her. "We all know that ye have more important things tae do aside from hosting us."

"Aye," said Chief Mogadon, "What d'ya mean callin' us out 'ere when there's dragons tae be killed!"

Norbert the Nutjob was possibly the only one that wasn't openly hostile, but..."Have ye finally found the rim of the skies?" The crazed chieftain asked.

"Shaddap, Nerbert!" Bertha and Mogadon roared.

Stoick held up his hands for quiet, "Please, all o' ye, I did not call ye here without reason," he roared, "I called, fer yer help." He said a bit more quietly, which got everyone's attention, including Norbert's. Stoick never asked for help. "Around a month ago, we set sail tae find the nest, as usual."

"Did ye find it?" Bertha asked in excitement.

"Finally!" Mogadon roared.

"Will you guy shut up!" Dagur roared, "Let the man talk!"

Stoick gave the young chief a smile of thanks, "As I was saying, we sailed for the nest, but did not find it, but we did find something," he said, "We found the reason for the raids...a giant dragon," he let his words sink in, seeing disbelief on some face, but others fear, "This beast came at us on the wing, and snatched up one of my ships whole, with teeth longer than I am tall. The smaller dragons are feeding the beast. And are most likely eaten themselves if it doesn't get enough from the raids."

"Ah, how big could it be?" Mogadon sneered, grinning at his son, "Course, tae a wee thing like that lad ye have, any dragon be as big as a mountain, eh, Stoick!" Mogadon roared, his men laughing behind him.

Stoick growled, but before he could say anything, a dagger was thrown, and pinned the Meathead chief to one of the columns by his shoulder armor. Tuggory looked to where his father was, and was now being pinned and back to the Hooligan side where Hiccup stood, his arms crossed, and an empty sheath on his arm where he'd seen his dagger. "I don't need size, Mogadon, remember that," he said, low and dangerous, "Imply that my father is lying, or even try to tarnish his honor again, and the next one goes through your head."

Mogadon growled and yanked the blade out, tossing it back to the boy, "Big talk, coming from such a wee little thing."

"Your wife didn't seem to mind," the boy quipped.

Thuggory sputtered, earning a glare from his father, but he wasn't the only one laughing. Even Camicazi thought it was funny. Before it could go any further, however, Bertha put a stop to it, "Now, that's enough o' that." She said, glaring at the two parties, "Mogadon, ye should'nae rile up a hornets nest lest ye want a stingin'. And I know fer a fact that Stoick is a horrible liar, even when 'e's soaked in mead."

Dagur stepped forward, "And there's been tell-tale signs of giant dragons for centuries. Just as many as there are of the rim of the sky," he jerked his thumb at Norbert, who bobbed his head pleasantly, "And in stories, as my father always said, there are always a lines of truth to follow."

Oswald nodded to his son in approval, "This be true," the man said for himself, looking at the Hooligan chief, "Stoick, me young friend, tell me, since ye have kept track of many breeds over the years, do ye happen tae know what this beast may be?"

Stoick gave a slight nod, "Not me personally, Oswald, but I did have our resident expert look into it," he said, and gave a slight wave as he stepped aside, "May the council recognize Fishlegs Ingerman, son of Arne Ingerman, and heir to his clan, and our finest scholar."

The young rotund Viking gave a small blush as he stepped forward between Hiccup and Stoick, "You're too kind, Chief, I'm hardly an expert."

"But ye're just as bright about yer books as my boy is about his inventions," he said, smiling, "Please, show us what ye've learned."

Fishlegs, looking a little nervous, nodded, and stood next to Hiccup, holding up a copy of The Book of Dragons, "First thing's first, from what you've told me about it, Chief, there are two dragons that it could be, but they'r both from the same species of Stoker Class dragon." He said, flipping a few pages, and showing a portrait of a large, four-legged dragon. "We have the Red Death, a gigantic animal with a five hundred foot wingspan, and a vicious temperament. It's been said that it gathers dragons around it and forces them to hunt for it while it waits inside volcanoes. It's also cannibalistic, meaning it'll eat its own kind."

Stoick nodded, having a look at the picture, "Aye, it looks like the dragon we saw, but I cannae be sure since we only saw the jaws."

"The other dragon is called the Green Death," Fishlegs continued, "Another Stoker Class, and only slightly smaller than the Red variant. It's considered docile next to the larger breed, but known to defend its territory if another of its kind is near. Meaning that if another Green or Red Death was near, it would go after it without hesitation." He said, setting the book down, "Not much else is known about them, other than the fact that they're both known to have swarms of dragons around them."

Hiccup scratched his chin in thought, "They don't sound that different to me," he relented, looking at his friend, "What else can you tell us?"

"That they're very different," Fishlegs pointed out, "Green Death's only eat fish and anything else you'd find in the water. Red Death's don't hunt at all unless they have to. Both defend what they consider their territory jealously, but Green Death's actually hunt and feed other dragons, sort of like a nurse maid. If they were anything like the Red Death, they'd eat smaller dragons, like they do."

Dagur was grinning, "Sounds like a tough dragon," he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "How much damage can they handle?"

"A lot," Fishlegs sighed, "That's where they're most similar. Both of them nest in active volcanoes, so their hides are extremely hard to pierce. And it's thick, like two feet thick, and then there's the fat layer beneath the scales, so we're looking at about four feet of pure armor."

Stoick frowned, "So, on one hand we have an aggressor sending out its workers to steal food from all of us, or be eaten themselves, and on the other, we may have one breathing down our necks." The other chiefs looked at him, "Remember, that beast flew out of the fog, and attacked us. From what Fishlegs said, a Red Death is just too lazy to attack anything, or anyone."

Astrid stepped forward, "No, Fishlegs said that Green Death's only eat fish, and the one that came after us ate an entire ship of our people," she said remorsefully, "It's a Red Death, it has to be."

Thuggory, who had been quiet then entire time, finally spoke up, "So we know what it is...but do we know how to kill it, or at least drive it away?"

"Fish?" Hiccup asked, looking at the young man.

Fishlegs shook his head, "I think the only thing that could drive off a Red Death, is a stronger, bigger dragon," he sighed, "And that doesn't help us at all. And killing it would be next to impossible with such thick armor."

Hiccup was thinking hard on the subject, but nothing short of finding another dragon to drive the beast off was coming to mind unless his inventions proved useful.

"I say we just sail in there and kill beast," Mogadon growled, "Fer three hundred years this wars been going on, and each year that goes by, there are fewer and fewer of us. All because of that monster out there."

"We should search for the rim of the sky!" Norbert put in.

Bertha groaned, "Stoick, why did ye have tae invite him?"

"Courtesy?"

Hiccup shook his head, "If this thing's as big as Dad and Fishlegs make it out to be, then an all out attack as stupid as it is suicide," He said, frowning, preparing to drop a real load on his fellow Vikings, "If this thing won't be brought down by our own weapons...then why not another dragon?"

"Come again, son?" Stoick said, thinking he'd misheard him, "How're ye gonna get another dragon to attack that thing?"

Hiccup looked at his father, and then at the other chieftains, and heirs. Camcazi and Dagur were both waiting on him to say something, and Astrid had taken a hold of his arm in surprise, but he smiled, "Alright, Dad, you already know I've had some close calls with dragons this last month. The Skrill was one thing, but the other two were completely different." He said, now addressing the others, "I was found and cornered by a Night Fury not long ago," he said, and the people around him gasped.

"Hiccup!" Astrid hissed, but he just smiled at her.

"It had me dead to rights," he said, smiling still, "I'd laid down my bow, and would've been dead before I could've gone for me sword. But it never touched me!" He went on, "I took all my weapons off, and showed it I meant it now harm...and it just flew away after that."

Dagur laughed loudly, "Hiccup, my Brother, I like where this is going!" He said, grinning over at his sister and father, then grinned right back at Hiccup, "You think you can tame a dragon, don't you?"

"Outrageous!" Mogadon roared, "We've been fighting these beasts for centuries, and now ye want -"

"I've already tamed him," Hiccup said, and all went quiet. Bertha and Mogadon were looking at him as if he'd grown a second head, while Dagur was looking ecstatic. Oswald and Heather looked stunned, while Astrid's grip tightened on his arm. Stoick's eyes were wide with a shock of their own. "Little over a week ago, the Night Furt found me again. This time I was with Astrid," he said, looking down at her, and she felt a little bit of heat blooming in her chest, "He caught us asleep, and could've killed us at any moment. But, again, he didn't. Instead, he let us pet and play with him. He was so different than anything we expected of a Night Fury of all dragons!"

Stoick looked to the young Shield Maiden, "Astrid, I know my son would never lie, especially in front of a council like this, but I must ask it of ye, does he speak the truth?"

"He does," Astrid smiled at him, "My Intended would never lie to anyone, you know that, Sir."

Stoick frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "And...what do ye intend tae do with this dragon ye've tame?"

Hiccup chuckled, and looked up at his father, and then at his friends, and assembled chieftains. "Let me show you."

* * *

 _ **The world in which this story takes place if much different than in canon. For one thing, can anyone guest what Norbert's rambling about?**_

 _ **But you can all guess what's coming next, right?**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**9: The Nest**_

 _ **The Meanest Queen You've Ever Seen**_

* * *

Hiccup ended up spending the evening with Astrid after the meeting with the other tribes. Whether he would be hailed a hero or a heretic was yet to be seen in the eyes of his father. Though the man hadn't shown it, there was clear shock, and a hint of shame in his eyes that only the boy himself could catch. And being around Astrid was a comfort in more ways than one.

"I still think you could have waited a little bit longer to let them know about him," she said as she came into the main hall with their dinner which consisted of a large pot of stew, and freshly baked bread, "I mean, each and every one of the chieftains are well known for killing dragons, Mogadon especially. And now you're trying to change the views of not only your father, but four other tribes?"

Hiccup shrugged from his seat at the table, his head in his hands, "What more could I do?" He asked, frowning, "I barely managed to keep my tough act up in front of Thuggory after I threw that knife at his dad."

"Which I thought was just totally bad-ass of you, by the way," Astrid grinned, giggling at the sour look on his face, "But think about it this way. Mogadon's your biggest problem. Thuggory is a lot like him, but he's also open to new ideas, but he'll still take convincing. Camicazi and Bertha have always been friends with us, even if Bertha's kind of a hellion herself, but Camicazi has always been smart. She'll listen, and probably demand you train a dragon for her."

"Sticky-fingers Camicazi on the back of a dragon?" Hiccup smirked, chuckling as he ladled stew into his bowl, "May the gods have mercy on anyone will a full coin purse."

Astrid giggled, "Oh, come on, she doesn't do that to everyone," she pointed out, smiling, filling a bowl for herself. "But you've got bigger problems to worry about besides Camicazi's little habits. You still need to convince everyone not to hurt you or Toothless tomorrow." She said, and poured herself a small mug of mead, filling another up for Hiccup as well. "And don't forget you'll have Mildew baying for blood if he catches wind of this."

Hiccup choked, "Oh gods, I really am gonna die!" He said, laying his head down on the table. Astrid giggled as she reached out to run the fingers of her right hand through his hair.

"Not before our wedding," she told him with as much authority as she could manage, "Besides, Mildew may raise Hel about it, but no one would dare raise a hand against you considering everything you've done for us in this last month. We have enough food to last us through the winter months, and a storeroom that's practically dragon-proof...and this," she gestured around her to her house, "You gave me back my home. After twelve years of living off the charity of Freydis and the Thorstons, I have a home and possessions because of you."

Hiccup raised up, looking at her with a crooked little grin, "I still can't believe you agreed to let me marry you," he smiled, "Despite all of it. My flaws alone would make anyone cringe."

Astrid got up and circled the table to sit beside him, leaning against his shoulder, "I love you, Hiccup." She smiled, looking up at him, "And I'll take you as you are. Your flaws, your shortcomings, and anything else that might happen to you."

Hiccup felt his heart swelling, and wrapped his arm around her waste, leaning his head on top of hers. "Even if I turn out to be Outcast after tomorrow?"

"You won't," she smiled confidently, looking up at him, "Stay with me tonight?"

Hiccup looked down at her in surprise, "You know what people would think, right?"

Astrid gave an uncaring shrug, "It's like you told me once, and I could really care less about what people would think about us," she said, smiling at his uncomfortable expression, "besides it's none of their business about what we do together. And it's not like I want to...do that...I just want you beside me tonight."

Hiccup smiled at her, "Who am I to refuse?"

=x=

Gobber was working on one of Hiccups weapons in the forge, working hard to bend the wood into the right shape. "D ye really think that he's done what he said he's done?" Stoick asked of him as he sat beside the fire. "I...If he has, then - "

"Don' go thinkin' on it too much, Stoick," Gobber said, looking at the man with a small smile, "An' if he 'as, then we 'ave somethin' to use against tha' monster ye saw out t'ere."

Stoick sighed, nodding, "Aye, I know that Gob, but...if he tamed one, then...what about Valka?"

Gobber looked at him with a sad smile, "Maybe she survived?" He said, shrugging, "But then again, maybe she did'nae. Who's tae say?" He said, leaving off his work to go sit beside the man, "But," he went on, "I will say this. Doona let anyone get in the lad's way. If the dragon shows up, do nothin' tae frighten it. I don' want tae lose 'im because some iggitt spooks the beast."

=x=

When Astrid woke, she expected to find her future husband still asleep at her side, but when she rolled over to reach for him, it was only to find that she was alone in the bed. She immediately came awake looked about the room. His armor, boots and weapons were gone. A sure sign that he himself had gone early that morning as she saw that the first cracks of dawn were peeking through the window.

Hurrying to get herself out of bed, and dressed for what was to come, she felt naked when she reached for her axe, but remembered that it was now embedded in the snout of a giant dragon.

She settled for a small dagger that she had picked up from Gobber, and strapped it to her hip, and hurried outside...only to blunder into a dragon. The black dragon gave a startled squawk as Astrid bungled into it, its eyes narrowing into slits in fear for a moment before backing away from her.

Astrid righted herself a moment later, "Oh, Toothless, I'm so sorry!" She breathed out when she recognized the Night Fury. She reached her hand out to pet him in apology, but the dragon hissed at her, baring his teeth at her. Shocked at the sudden aggression, she remembered that she was carrying a dagger. "Oh, right, you don't like weapons," she said, hurriedly taking the dagger from her hip and tossing it aside, much to the dragon's confusion. _Blue_ eyes, still narrowed into those fearful slits, regarded her curiously.

Astrid crouched down, holding her hand out, the back of her hand facing up, hoping she could calm him down enough to get him to trust her again. "Come on," she said gently, "It's okay."

The dragon cocked its head from side to side, its eyes widening into the bright squares she was more familiar with, and bumped her hand with its snout. "That's it," the girl smiled as the Night Fury inched closer, making the Shield Maiden blink, "You know, I thought you were bigger?" She said, giggling as the dragon licked her hand, and rubbed against it, "Or maybe I'm just getting used to you, huh?" She said, and began to scratch the beast under its chin where she knew its favorite spot was, and touched to the spot right between the neck and jaw that sent the dragon down into bliss as it crooned in delight.

Astrid nearly laughed herself silly at the sight of such a powerful animal going limp from such a simple touch. A moment later the dragon was up again,and rubbing against her like a cat, even purring. Still giggling, she rose from her crouch, and petted her knee, "Come on, we need to get you to Hiccup so you can be saddled for your show-flight."

The dragon warbled, and bobbed its head, following after her down into the village.

Astrid and Toothless wandered about the village quietly looking for the chieftains, and hoping they wouldn't encounter anyone else until Hiccup showed up. That, and she hoped that she could keep Toothless calm around Mogadon and Thuggory until everything was ready.

"I still doona believe this is even possible, Stoick," Bertha's voice reached her, "Don' get me wrong, but taming a dragon?"

"Aye, t'is a wee bit o' a stretch," Oswald said, "But we all will see whether or not it's true, so there be no use grumbling about it."

"I'm no' grumblin' about anythin', Oswald, I just don' see it 'appenin'." The Bog-Burglar chieftess said in a huff. Astrid found them by Gobber's shop, all of them gathered around her chief, himself looking a tad bit nervous.

"I have faith in my son," Stoick said, and caught sight of Astrid, "Ah, lass, t'is good tae see...ye...Thor's hammer!"

The Hooligan Chief's gasp brought all of their attention on the girl...or rather the dragon that was peeking around her skirt, its eyes wide and curious about these new humans. Fishlegs, who had been hidden behind Gobber, gasped, but in pure delight upon seeing the black dragon, and came forward like a boy on Snoggletog about to unwrap a gift.

"Oh, he's beautiful!" The boy nearly squealed as the dragon ducked back out of sight, prompting the boy to move forward a little more to get a better look.

Astrid giggled and held up her hands to stop him, "Uh, Fish, I'm glad you're not scared of him, but... _you're_ kind'a scaring _him_ now." She pointed out, making sure the other chiefs heard her, especially the Meatheads, who both had their hands on their weapons, Thuggory looking spooked, and Mogadon looking at the dragon as if it were made of gold. "So please, _lose_ the weapons?"

"Ye cannae expect us tae - ?" Bertha began, only for Camicazi to step forward, loosing the short sword from her belt, and smiling widely as the dragon peeked out again. "Cami!"

"Mom, calm down," the girl breathed out in awe, "You'll scare it."

"Him," Astrid corrected as Heather and Dagur soon followed suit, "Toothless is a male."

"He's lovely," Heather breathed out.

Dagur smiled in agreement, but then a frown marred his face, "Hold on, wasn't my Brother supposed to bring him?"

Astrid shrugged as Toothless nudged against her leg in a plea for attention, discomforted by all of the attention from the strange humans. Astrid readily gave the dragon comforting scratch behind its ears, "I really don't know where he's gotten off to," she admitted, "I woke up this morning, and found all of his gear gone, saddle included, so I assumed he went to fly Toothless for a while until I ran into him outside my door."

Dagur was now regarding the dragon with interest it raised its head. "You said this dragon was a male?"

"Yeah, why?" Astrid asked, surprised, "Hiccup seemed pretty sure Toothless is male."

"Dad?" Dagur called back, "You've seen Furies before, so tell me, what's wrong with this picture?"

Oswald was confused for a moment, and stepped forward to examine the beast. Toothless, sensing the aged man was of no threat to it, allowed him to approach, but whipped its tail around Astrid in a protective gesture, a low rumble emanating from its chest. Oswald knelt, his knees cracking with strain, and looked at the dragon. "Hm."

"Sir?" Astrid asked, somewhat worried.

"This dragon is a female of the species." Oswald declared, "Most of the Night Furies I've seen in my life have had two different eye colorations; green for the males, and blue for the females. This one is obviously the latter."

Astrid looked astounded, "Blue...wait a minute, that means that this isn't our Toothless!"

The dragon in question let out a sneeze, and began scratching behind her ears like a dog; a rather comical sight to behold from such a feared species.

"Which would mean, Astrid, that you bungled out of your house this morning into a wild Night Fury and mistook it for the one Hiccup was intending to ride this morning," Heather smiled, "This proves they can be tamed!"

"Hogwash!" Mogadon snapped, drawing his weapon, "T'is nothing more than a trick!"

Seeing the weapon drawn, the female Fury tensed up and growled, her tail wrapping ever tighter around Astrid's legs. Stoick stepped in front of the Meathead, and pushed him back. "Back off, Mogadon, ye'll not lay a hand on it!" The man snapped, "Until Hiccup arrives, we do nothing! He's still got to prove to us - "

"Look!" Gobber suddenly shouted,pointing skyward, and Astrid found herself smiling in relief. There he was, gliding lazily through the air without so much as a care in the world as the dragon he rode circled around them. Toothless wasn't showing off at all. Not really. He was being just as lazy about it as his rider, probably showing just how easy it was for them to fly together.

Toothless then preformed a lazy roll, his wings arcing through the air beautifully, and then looped, dropping lower, until the pair landed a short distance away. Hiccup immediately spotted the familiar dark hide of Astrid's new friend and smiled widely as Toothless squawked in greeting, bounding over to the newcomer when Hiccup hopped out of the saddle.

Spooked by the larger dragon's enthusiasm, the female yelped and ducked behind Astrid, expecting to be protected from the Titan-wing Night Fury. What ensued, however, was most likely the most ridiculous game of peekaboo anyone had ever seen. When Toothless would peek around one side of Astrid, the female would peek around the other.

Then the female bounded off and away from the male, who gave a playful chase after her. Hiccup smiled as they bounded passed him, "Where did you find her?" He asked, immediately realizing the gender of the beast, given Toothless' behavior.

"She was outside my house when I left this morning," Astrid smiled at her betrothed, then punched him in the arm, "Where were you?!"

Hiccup rubbed his aching arm, looking embarrassed, "Sorry, I just wanted to get everything ready!" He admitted, "I was nervous this morning and - Whoa!"

"YEEK!"

The two dragons had bounded passed them, knocking them into each other.

Thuggory chuckled, sheathing his sword, and stepping forward, "Well, you've got me convinced," he said, reaching out to help the two of them back to their feet, "Gods, I never thought I'd see a Night Fury, and here I've seen two of them in one morning!"

"Aye, that makes two o' us," Stoick said as the younger dragon darted behind him in an attempt to hide from Toothless. Toothless, undaunted by the large Viking, tried to peek around him, but Stoick was just as fearless as the dragons, and pushed the enthusiastic Toothless back, "Easy, ye devil, no need tae knock me over, too."

Oswald chuckled, and turned to the young Hooligan, "Now, Hiccup, I think it's time to explain exactly what your plan is all about."

Heather crossed her arms, "He plans to train more dragons, so he can drive off that Red Death that's been causing so much trouble these last three hundred years, right?"

Hiccup nodded, "That had crossed my mind, yeah," he grinned as Toothless scooted back over to him, the smaller female circling around to Astrid's side. "What I was thinking was that I'd use Toothless to find and maybe draw out a Green Death, since they're harmless to people, and have it take on the Red Death that's causing all of this trouble."

Fishlegs, who was inching closer and closer to the dragons, smiled, "That might work," the young man said, "But there's no real way to know that. Green Death's stick to their own territory, and won't venture out far unless there's an intruder."

Dagur grinned, "So it's a dragon army, then?" He laughed, thumping Hiccup on the shoulder, staggering him, "Awesome work, my Brother! When can I have mine?"

"As soon as we figure out if everyone's on board for this," Hiccup frowned, looking at the Chieftains. Aside from Dagur, Oswald, and Stoick, the other three looked ready to draw their weapons. Norbert, who had been quiet the entire time, was already frothing at the mouth.

Camicazi went right up to Toothless and held her hand out to the large Night Fury, letting him sniff at it before he gave it a slimy lick. "Ew!" The girl giggled as she tried to wipe the saliva off, much to Hiccup's amusement, "And I thought doggy kisses were bad!"

"Yeah, that stuff won't come off for a while," Hiccup said, while Astrid nodded along. "It's pretty sticky."

Meanwhile, as the youngster were talking and fawning over the two dragons, Stoick, Bertha, Mogadon, Norbert, and Oswald watched in amazement as their children got up close and personal with one of the most feared dragons in the archipelago. Stoick breathed out a large sigh, "Well, now we know that my son was tellin' the truth," he said as Hiccup began showing Fishlegs the saddle he'd made for Toothless, "And now we have an idea about how tae get rid of the real problem. Gobber?"

Gobber smirked, "Aye, t'is an amazing thing tae see," he said, looking down at his stump of a hand and leg, "Makes me wonder how things would have turned out if I'd done things diff'rently." He sighed, "But no use cryin' o'er spilt milk, eh?"

"Yes, but how in the name of Odin are we goin' tae find this nest?" Bertha asked, "I doubt that we can all just jump that yon and fly there. The beast Hiccup tamed looks like it could barely carry three people, let alone an army."

"A scouting flight," Mogadon smirked maliciously, "If this beast o' yours exists, Stoick, let that whelp o' yours ride out and bring back proof...and let m'boy go with 'im."

Thuggory looked at his father, "Why do you want me to go?"

"Because I know ye won't be fooled by this whelp's tricks," Mogadon said none too kindly, earning a growl from Stoick. "Whatever's out there, I want ye tae bring back proof. A tooth, a scale, anythin'. If this thing's as big as Stoick says, then I wanna know just how big."

Stoick frowned, but nodded, "Alright." He turned to his son, "Hiccup, ye heard all o' that, right?"

"Loud and clear," the young man grumbled, his hand inching toward his dagger, "He still thinks, even after seeing me riding on the back of a dragon, and seeing Astrid practically tame one right in front of him, that all of this is one big trick." He looked at Thuggory, "Sorry to say, but your dad's about as smart as a mealy worm."

Thuggory grunted and crossed his arms, "Grandad always did say mom was the brains of the family."

"I can see why," Astrid huffed, her hands on her hips, glaring lightly at the Meathead chief.

Hiccup placed his arm around her, "I don't mind it," he said, smiling, "Someone was gonna have to do this sooner or later."

The girl in his arms huffed again, frowning, "I know, but that doesn't make this any easier." She sighed, looking down at the little female next to her, "Maybe I could go with you? I mean, how fast could you whip up a saddle for her?"

"Not fast enough," he sighed, "Look, she's not even seen a saddle before, and might not like it. I got lucky with Toothless because I knew him better."

Astrid frowned, shaking her head as the smaller dragon crooned at her, nudging her hand with her snout. The girl giggled and reached down to pet her while Toothless bobbed his head up and down at the younger dragon. The female gave a soft hiss, and ducked behind Astrid once again, wanting nothing to do with the other Night Fury.

Hiccup snickered, "Guess you're gonna have to work on her, huh, bud?"

Toothless snorted, sitting on his haunches with his head cocked to the side not unlike a puppy.

"Like dragon like rider," Dagur put in, smiling as he thumped the younger man in the chest.

=x=

Thuggory prided himself on never showing fear toward anything, be it dragons or invaders, the young Meathead heir showed nothing but courage...that is, until he first sat in the saddle on the back of a dragon.

Hiccup had made ready for the trip in packing up his weapons, including his bow and arrows, which Thuggory admired for their looks. They really were works of art to the young man.

Stoick, after the meeting of the two dragons, had called out to all the villagers. All of them now gathered around to look on in amazement, and fear as the heir of the Hooligans, and the Meatheads sat astride a black dragon no one had ever seen before, but they all knew exactly what it was. Toothless was an impressive sight to behold, that much anyone could see. He was a twenty-six foot long beast with an massive forty-five foot wingspan that dwarfed even a Nadders impressive forty-two foot span.

Taking note of the female, Thuggory was beginning to think that most female dragons were smaller than the males for some reason. Astrid's Night Fury was an adult, of course, but she was only around twenty feet long from nose to tail with a forty foot wingspan. She wasn't that much smaller than Hiccup's Toothless, but the difference was noticeable.

There were mixed reactions to the dragons, and much more so to the sight of the two young heirs sitting on the back of the larger beast. One man had come screaming at the top of his lungs about devils and demons bewitching them, but he was dragged off by the Thorston twins, thankfully.

Hiccup ignored the noise raised by his people as Stoick gave out a long speak about how the two of them would fly his dragon to the nest and find out why the attacks were coming.

All of his focus was on the two girls watching him while he was in the saddle. Astrid stood beside her dragon, little Olga standing beside her. The little girl was unafraid of the beast, her focus on her godfather. She looked worried for him. She knew her Uncle Hiccup did strange things, but now that she saw him astride a dragon, armed to the teeth, she felt fear.

He gave her a reassuring smile, and nodded to Astrid, who smiled back at him. She looked worried, too.

"We're coming back," Hiccup mouthed at them as much to himself. Thuggory thumped him on the shoulder, giving him a nod of agreement.

"We'll find the place, get in, get out, and be back in time for supper," the Meathead heir smirked, "I won't let your lassies go without you."

Hiccup nodded in thanks, and waited for his father to finish speaking. Camicazi came up to them a moment later, however, and offered something to the dragon rider, "Here," she said, handing him a blue turquoise bead bracelet, "for luck."

Hiccup smiled at his old friend, accepting the trinket, "Look after Astrid and Olga for me?"

"You got it, Hic," she nodded, her blonde curls bouncing with the motion, "We'll be here when you get back, safe and sound."

Hiccup nodded, "Tell Gobber that there's a wrapped package under my work bench." He said, sighing, hoping he would get to see the look on her face, "It's for Astrid."

Camicazi nodded and moved off as Hiccup slipped the bracelet on.

"Today we begin our true rise against the threat of the dragons!" Stoick roared over the crowd, "When Hiccup and Thuggory return with proof of the Red Death, we can and will find a way to drive this beast away from our waters, and live free from the threat of the beast forever!"

A great roar rose up.

This was it.

Hiccup nudged his friend in the side to get him going, and the Night Fury's wings rose up, and swept down in that all important first downward sweep as they lifted from the ground. A collective gasp rose from the crowd as the wind of Toothless' wings buffeted them. Thuggory whimpered as the dragon rose higher and higher above the ground, his sense of security rapidly leaving him.

Toothless hovered above the village for a moment, looking back at his friend, and Hiccup smiled, "Take us to the nest, bud," he said, patting the side of his neck, "As fast as you can."

Toothless gave him a draconic grin.

Thuggory saw the look the dragon was giving his friend and immediately grasped him around the middle in a strangle-hold just in the nick of time as Toothless tensed and shot through the air like an arrow from Ullr's bow.

A resounding boom sounded as they flew, and their speed increased tenfold. Another boom, and another. Thuggory could barely hang on from the force of the wind being kicked up by their movements. Hiccup had himself laid down low over the dragon's back, and the Meathead attempted to imitate the position, the force lessening.

Back on the ground, Astrid watched as her Intended flew away toward the very place she had no desire to see again after what had happened. Olga reached up and took her hand, "Auntie?" The little girl said, looking up at her, "Is Uncle Hiccup gonna come back?"

Astrid smiled at her, and picked her up in her arms, "Of course he is, Sweetie," she said, petting her hair, "He's got Thuggory, and Toothless with him. There's no way he won't come back."

The female Night Fury snorted and crooned at the two girls, her large blue eyes dilated with concern. Astrid smiled and scratched her under the chin, "You know, she needs a name."

"Her eyes are stormy-blue!" The little girl pointed out, "And I bet she's a good flier!"

Astrid giggled, "Stormfly it is, then."

Stormfly warbled, and cooed, apparently liking her new name.

"SHIP AHOY!" Came the shout from the lookout tower.

Astrid looked out to see and spotted what looked like a tattered, and broken vessel...an Outcast ship.

=x=

Fog was beginning to rise from the sea as the two Vikings and Night Fury neared Helheim's Gate. Ahead of them was the large wall of fog that marked the entrance. Hiccup wouldn't lie and say he wasn't frightened. He was terrified. Beyond that wall of fog lay the very creature that had plagued his people for centuries. And he only had two friends as his backup.

As they neared, Toothless suddenly dropped dangerously low to the water, spooking his passengers.

"What's happening?" Thuggory asked, frightened.

"I don't know," Hiccup said, his voice hushed, "We've gotta be close."

As Toothless leveled out, skimming the surface of the water, he ducked into the wall of fog. Blinded by the fog, the two humans could only sit and wait as the dragon guided them through the fog. Holding tightly to the saddle, Hiccup kept his eyes on his friend's ear flaps, twitching this way and that, and which ever way they seemed to twitch, he would veer off in that direction.

Rocky spires dotted the area, and the skeletons of long ships were hung on those spires like trophies. Thuggory gulped, "That's my great grandfather's ship," he pointed out as they passed a ship that hung high above the water, a massive chunk taken out of it, almost like a bite...no, it _was_ a bite.

Hiccup felt his nerves grow ten times over as they continued on.

Suddenly, the fog broke, and they found themselves on a pebble beach. Toothless dropped to the beach, landing lightly as the two humans slid from his back. Thuggory drew his sword right away as the stench of dragon drifted through the air. Dragon dens, if they were used often, gained a great stench of sulfur. The smell there on the beach was so strong that it made their eyes water, and made poor Toothless sneeze.

"There's a cave up there," Hiccup coughed, pointed to a large opening in the side of the volcano. "Let's get this over with."

"Yeah, this place...it doesn't feel right." Thuggory said, frowning, "Uh, Hic, I think I've changed my mind, this do- WAH!" The man tripped over something under the pebbled beach. "What the blazes?" He groaned, picking himself up, and looked at what he tripped over. It was a human rib cage. Thuggory turned green.

"We can't go back, yet," Hiccup said, placing his arm around his friend's shoulders in comfort, "Come on, we find a shed scale, or a tooth, and we're out."

"I'm gonna be sick," the larger man groaned as they neared the cave.

Toothless slowly moved after them, his back arched like an frightened cat, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

Lava tubes lined the cave, giving off a dim light, and an intense heat as they moved deeper into the cave. Shed scales and teeth littered the ground, varying in size from finger, to the size of small tree branches. Bones of different animals also littered the ground.

There were also dragon bones among them.

Thuggory held his sword like a safety blanket as he stuck close to the smaller man, the dragon at their rear, equally scared.

Hiccup drew his short sword, a small comfort for his own nerves.

"You hear that?" Thuggory asked.

"What?" Hiccup asked, and felt a slight breeze coming from ahead of them.

"That," Thuggory said, "That's...that's not wind, is it?"

Hiccup shook his head, "Let's go."

They moved through the tunnel, several minutes passing by as the heat poured from the walls. The crunch of bone and grit beneath their feet the only sound.

Finally, they exited the tunnel, and came into a massive cavern, the sound of the wind from before coming in deep, loud huffs. Snoring.

They were in the nest.

A massive pit of lava lay in front of them, smoke and noxious fumes rising from the molten rock. All around them were the scattered remains of meals long since devoured, bones, dung, scales, teeth, claws...and egg shells.

"Hiccup," Thuggory pointed into the pit.

Hiccup looked toward the lava, and noticed a massive form sitting in the molten rock as if it were a hot bath. A form that was breathing. Toothless crooned quietly, nudging his way up behind Hiccup, terrified.

Hiccup nodded, "Okay...okay, we've seen the damned thing, and there's plenty of teeth and scales to go around so just pick one and tie it to Toothless' saddle and let's get the Hel out of here!"

Thuggory nodded vigorously, and dropped to the ground, "Make sure it's a big one, whatever you grab, or my father will never let us hear the end of it!"

Scrabbling around for their prize, Thuggory picked up a shield-size scale, Hiccup picked up a ten foot claw, and both heft a nine foot tooth onto Toothless, who was uneffected by the weight as the two of them loaded the items up.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Hiccup muttered as he hopped into the saddle, Thuggory following right behind him...but both of them noticed that it was eerily quiet. The Red Death's snoring had stopped. "Let's go!" Hiccup hissed desperately.

Toothless squawked and shot toward the tunnel as a massive roar shook the air around them and the lava pit erupted as the massive form of the Red Death surged out of the pool. The two humans screamed as the smaller dragon darted into the tunnel, causing the Red Death to slam into the side of the mountain with a deep rumble. Showered with rocks, the trio shot out of the tunnel in record time, and burst into the air above the island without so much as a glance behind them.

"Are alright?!" Hiccup shouted back.

"Yeah, fine!" Thuggory yelled shakily, "Beards of Thor! What was that thing!"

Hiccup shook his head, "That's what we have to get rid of."

* * *

 _ **I'm back, and yes, in this story, Stormfly is not a Nadder, but another, female Night Fury. Since the third movie hasn't released her name yet, we'll stick with Stormfly for now, but I might go back and change it, later. Now, how are the chiefs going to react to the proof brought back by the boys?"**_

 _ **Please review if you liked the chapter!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**More trouble.**_

 _ **10:**_ _ **Dragon Bones**_

 _ **The Lava-Lout Tribe**_

* * *

The Outcast ship, looking badly damaged, docked in the harbor of Berk, Stoick moving down to greet them, his hand resting on his axe. Alvin the Treacherous had once been his friend, almost as close as he and Gobber were to date. But that had long since passed them both by in his exile from the island.

But when the man stomped down the docks, it was to see that not only was the ship in dire straights, but so was her crew...or lack there of. The deck was covered in blood, and corpses, and the captain was no where to be seen.

"In the name of Odin, what happened?" The man breathed out as he was joined by Gobber and Astrid, "Astrid, send for Gothi, there might be some survivors. Gobber, you're with me."

"Aye, Stoick," Gobber said, twisting his axe into his stump, "Astrid, make sure ye hurry back. Would'nae want ye to miss all t'e fun if it comes down to it, eh?"

Astrid nodded and raced off in search of the elder.

Stoick and Gobber stepped onto the ship, avoiding the fallen Outcasts, noting that some of them were cleaved from head to hip. "By the gods, what did this? A dragon?"

"Nay, Stoick," the aged blacksmith frowned, dipping down to pick of a strange-looking dagger, "T'was no dragon what did this...this is made of dragon bone..." he said, sniffing the weapon, "Lava-Louts."

"Aye," croaked a voice amid the bodies. Stoick looked toward the mast and saw the Outcast chief slumped against the mast, his armor covered in blood. "Good to see you, Stoick."

"Alvin," Stoick rushed to his former friend's side and helped him to his feet, "Are ye injured?"

"Nay," the man shook his head, "Just worn like boot leather. T'was a good fight."

Stoick and Gobber helped the man off of his ship, and onto the docks just as Astrid came running back with Gothi perched on her shoulders, "Ah, good, ye brought her, lass."

"Are there others?" Astrid asked, dipping down to set Gothi on her feet.

Stoick shook his head as the healer went to work, even as Alvin tried to wave her off. Alvin was too tired to protest very much, worn out as he was. His eyes drifted to Astrid, and the man found himself smiling. Stoick caught his gaze and frown, knocking him in the shoulder lightly. The two shared a small look that the girl didn't catch, but Gobber did.

"He needs rest," Gothi breathed out, "Hot food to restore his strength, and wine to numb his muscles."

Alvin chuckled, "I'd not object to a fine meal."

"Ye shall have it," the Hooligan chief said, patting him on the shoulder, "Then, we can talk about what happened."

Alvin nodded, "Lead the way, my former Shield Brother."

"Astrid, I hope ye've taken that...er, friend o' yours into care?" Stoick said, hinting at Astrid's new friend in Stormfly.

The girl nodded, "I left her at my house with Olga," she smiled, "They seem to like each other."

"Good, then I'd like ye to gather up the other chieftains," Stoick sighed, "I'm willing to bet that Olaf One-Brow isn't done with whatever he's up to, eh, Alvin?"

Alvin growled, "I can only wish that I'd made that half-giant bastard bleed," he sneered as the three men made for the mead hall. Astrid had scampered off in search of the others, the Outcast Chief smiling, "She's grown into a Valkyrie, hasn't she?"

Stoick nodded, "That she has, Alvin," he said, looking at the man, "Ye know ye doona have tae endure this any longer. She'll understand."

"Hating me because I am an enemy chief I can take, Stoick," Alvin frowned, "Hating me because of her parents I could never endure." He sighed, "She have a man, yet?"

"My son," Stoick said proudly, "The lad's really come into his own."

"Ah, not such a runt anymore, is he?" Alvin chuckled as Stoick scowled at him. "Oh, don't be giving me that look, Stoick, ye know ye thought the same thing when Valka handed him to ye fer the first time."

Stoick sighed, and nodded, "Aye, that I did." He then smiled, "But that boy's done more for this village than I could have ever imagined."

Some time later found the chieftains gathered around the council table as Alvin wolfed down the meal of roasted boar, and whipped turnips before washing it down with a near bucket full of mead. "Ah, honeyed mead spiced with juniper berries," the man sighed in contentment, "That's a taste that'll never get old."

Stoick chuckled, "Always was the best we had," he commented, "Now, why don't we get down to what happened to ye?"

Alvin frowned, glaring down at his mug, "What is there to say, Stoick?" The man growled, "I got your message about the meeting to deal with the dragons once and fer all, but when I was about to set sail, who should darken me shores but that half-giant bastard, Olaf!" He growled, the grip on his mug groaning from his grip, "I thought he intended to sail along with us, but when I caught sight of his men, all of them decked out in dragon bone and scale armor, I knew it was no friendly meeting. He attacked, and slaughtered all of me men. Then he set the village ablaze." He looked at the gathered chiefs. "None of my tribe are left thanks to that monster."

Stoick growled, thumping his fist against the table, "I knew I never should've invited them!" He snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Gods, they're worse than the dragons! At least they know how to protect their own, but these bastards just wiped out an entire tribe!"

"We are Outcast," Alvin reminded him, "Much as we think of ourselves as a tribe, Stoick, we really weren't. Some came from Berk, others from Berserker Island, and more from the Bog-Burglars."

Dagur ground his teeth, "That doesn't give him the right to kill all of your people," the deranged Berserker spat, "I may have the madness, but even I can recognize who my foes are when I've gone mad!"

Bertha stepped forward, "Did any of me former sisters make it out?"

"None, Bertha," Alvin said, looking at her, "And you know I wish they had. Olaf is not kind to women."

"Dickless bastard!" The Valkyrie sneered, her hand falling to her war axe, "Stoick, what are we tae do about these beasts?!"

Stoick sighed in defeat, "I cannae sail out after him, much as I want to, believe me." He growled, "T'is all we can do to figure out what to do about this giant dragon I've told ye all about."

"All but me," Alvin looked at him, "What giant dragon?"

Stoick quickly explained all that had gone on in the last few days, including the two new residents of Berk, Toothless and Stormfly. Alvin's eyes looked ready to pop clean out of his head, "I...think I may have had too much to drink...did ye just say ye've tamed a pair of Night Furies, Stoick?"

"Aye, that I did," Stoick confirmed, holding out the flagon for him, "Care for another round?"

Alvin nearly laughed, "I think I need to have a clear head for what's to come, me old friend." He said, setting his mug aside, "As for what we should do about the Lava-Louts...they'll be coming this way next."

Stoick nodded, expecting as much. For whatever reason, the Lava-Louts wanted the his tribe gone the most. He couldn't remember if there was a blood feud between them or not, nor did he recall ever having any contact with a member of the tribe in the past.

"Then we should get ready to welcome them, don't ye think?" Stoick grinned at the other chiefs, whom all nodded, all except for Mogadon, who was gritting his teeth for some reason. "Mogadon?"

"Where is that boy of yers!?" He snapped, "Me son was supposed to be back by now!"

Stoick frowned. The day was near done, and they'd yet to see hide nor hair of the two heirs. Which worried the man greatly.

"I don't know, Mogadon," he relented, "But I have faith me son to come back to us with that proof ye wanted." He said, "Make no mistake, ye are the one that wanted this. And ye are to blame if harm befalls them."

"I don't like yer tone, Stoick," the Meathead chieftain growled, his fists clenching tightly, "Keep in mind that if that dragon harmed me boy, I'll - "

"That is enough, from both o' ye!" Bertha shouted, slamming her axe into the table, "We all be worried about those boys, but starting a row about it right now won't be helping anyone!" She sneered at the two men, "Stoick, that boy o' yers had some fine weaponry; does Gobber have anymore in stock? We're gonna need it."

"I believe that they made several sets of armor, too," the man said, "Me son is a master smith in weaponry, and Gobber is a master armorer. Both of them have given up what they made for the village. Mithril(1) is what Gobber's been calling the stuff. Hiccup's swords, bow, and arrows are made from the same stuff. And there's more. A black metal Hiccup discovered is strong enough to slice through iron. Acid-hardened iron."

"Then we've no time tae lose," the Bog-Burglar chieftess said, smiling in delight, "Let's get our people strapped up, and armed. We've a bunch o' louts tae deal with!"

=x=

Meanwhile...

"I don't like the look of those storm clouds, Hiccup," Thuggory said from behind the young Hooligan, "Winter's almost in full swing, so that could very well be an ice storm coming our way!"

Hiccup looked back at him, "I know, but we're out over open water, where am I supposed to land?" He asked as Toothless sped over the water, "We're still a long ways out from Berk!"

Thuggory groaned, "This isn't good," he shivered, "This is definitely a winter storm we're about to fly into!"

Hiccup frowned and looked down at his friend, "Toothless, you gotta get us away from that storm!"

The dragon warbled as he looked back at him, smiling. No sooner had he made the request than Toothless shot straight up into the clouds above them. Thuggory yelled in fright, thinking the clouds solid, but to his surprise they passed right through them, his clothes and armor becoming soaked through. And then Toothless burst through the top of the clouds.

"Whoa," Hiccup breathed out. Before him lay a vast expanse of clouds below them, above was the fire of the gods shining brilliantly with its eerie light. The stars were already lighting up the night sky above them, even though he could still see the sun just cresting above the clouds.

"I've never..." Thuggory breathed out, stunned by the sight, "Hiccup, I never thought I'd say it, but I envy dragons if they get to see things like this."

Hiccup nodded, and patted the dragon on the neck, earning a croon from his friend. "We still need to land," he commented, "It's getting way too cold, and we're not dressed for a winter storm, even if we're flying above it."

Thuggory nodded, "Head west of here," he said, "There's a small cluster of islands that have a bunch of caves on them. Whispering Death burrows, I think. Should be safe enough for a couple of hours."

Hiccup nodded as thunder rolled off in the distance, prompting him to turn Toothless westward.

Half an hour later found them hovering over an island lush with pine trees, and obviously pock-marked with holes and caves. Landing on the island the two young men immediately made for the caves, the storm already too close for comfort. They found a cave that was protected by a cluster of pine trees, and the pair gathered up a large pile of wood which Toothless set ablaze with a small blast of flames.

No sooner was their fire going than the storm hit. Wind and hail howled outside the cave as the storm raged, making the fire a welcome comfort. "Looks like we should get comfortable." Hiccup sighed, frowning slightly, "I was hoping we could get back home."

Thuggory shrugged, "Can't control the weather, Hic," the older teen said, frowning himself, "I'm kind'a worried about my dad, too. Something's not been right with him lately."

"He did push for us to come out here," Hiccup relented, "But I figure he's just being cautious, right?"

Thuggory frowned, "Not sure. I mean, yeah, my dad's shrewd and all, but he's never put me in particular in a danger zone. Sure, I've fought dragons before, sorry Toothless," he said as an after thought as the dragon looked at him with a hurt expression. "But putting me on the back of a dragon? Never thought he'd insist on something like that."

Hiccup frowned as he poked at the fire, "You're right. He trusted me with you way too easily for someone that hates dragons as much as he does..." He sighed, "I don't know, Thug, but we should probably just - "

A huffing grunt caught their attention as something large crashed into the ground outside their cave. Thuggory was immediately on edge, reaching for his sword, but Hiccup took a glance at Toothless, who looked toward the entrance with interest, but not fear, or anger. The dragon was calm.

Not a moment later, however, the huffing got louder, and into the cave stumbled a medium-sized dragon with mottled black and grey skin, and, oddly, a metal face-mask strapped over his muzzle. Hiccup also noticed that the beast was injured, favoring its right back leg which was bleeding from a small but deep gash.

The dragon paid them little attention as it hobbled into the cave, and marched right up to the fire, laying itself down next to the flames with a deep sigh as the warm seeped into his drenched hide.

"Easy, Thuggory," the younger man smiled, "I don't think this guy wants a fight."

"How can you be so sure about that?!" Thuggory hissed frantically, spooked by the strange dragon. "And what kind of dragon is this?! We don't even know what it is?!"

"Thunderclaw," Hiccup put in, smiling, "A few of them were put into the holding area a few years ago. They seemed pretty gentle."

"Yeah?" Thuggory frowned, sheathing his sword, "Then explain the mask it's wearing!"

Hiccupt scooted forward, slowly, so he wouldn't scare the newcomer, and held his hand out just under its nose. The Thunderclaw sniffed at him for a moment, and then laid its head down on its front paws, seemingly not caring about the boy in front of it. Hiccup took this as permission to approach, and took a good long look at the dragon.

The hide was dirty, and poorly cared for, and he could make out the rings of shackles on its feet where it had been bound. On closer inspection, he saw lash marks on the beast's neck; someone had been whipping this poor dragon.

Toothless scooted around him, crooning quietly, soothing the beast as it regarded the Night Fury and his rider.

"I don't think he's dangerous," Hiccup smiled as he went around the dragon to have a look at its wound, "As for the mask...I think he was captured and made to fight if these scars are anything to go on."

The Thunderclaw lowed a gentle rumble in his chest, looking over his shoulder at the boy as he examined the wound, and grumbled at him. Hiccup smiled at the beast, "It's okay, big guy, this won't take long." Huffing out a smokey breath, the dragon just laid his head back down on his paws and rested. The saddlebags that Hiccup had placed on Toothless held a few roles of bandages, and herbs meant for healing. The dragon hissed as he placed the herbs into the wound, and bandaged it.

All the while Thuggory kept his eyes on the beast. Never before had he seen such a healing. The face of the dragon, concealed as it was, let all of his pain show as he hissed and bared his teeth. Unconsciously, he reached over and placed his hand on the beast's rump, patting him soothingly as the dragon looked back at him for a moment, and gave a dip of his head. The message was clear: " _Thank you._ "

"That should do it," Hiccup said, looking up from his work, "As soon as the storm lets up, we can get back home, and maybe this guy'll follow us."

Thuggory nodded, "Couldn't I ride him back like you did with Toothless?"

The younger man looked at him, and smirked, "I thought you were scared of him?"

"Not scared, wary," Thuggory growled, "Wouldn't you be a little jumpy if a strange dragon just sidled up to you in the middle of a hail storm?"

Hiccup held up his hands in apology, still grinning, "If he'll let you, you'll have to ride him bare-back."

"I've ridden horses without a saddle before," the Meathead heir said, shrugging, "Besides, it'd probably be a gentler ride than with Toothless. That devil's the wind!"

Toothless gave a chortling laugh as he went and curled up by the fire once more, and closed his eyes. Hiccup rose and settled against the Night Fury, "Well, nothing else we can do except wait for the storm to stop."

"I hope that's soon," Thuggory sighed, settling himself against the cave wall, "Wake me when it stops."

=x=

Back on Berk...

Astrid was busy showing off her rebuilt home to Camicazi and Heather as they, Ruffnut and Olga sat at her table sipping tea. "I still can't believe Hiccup did all of this for you," Camicazi smiled as she watched Stormfly dozing off by the hearth. "I mean, this is a beautiful house!"

"It is," Heather nodded, "I'm just sorry about what happened to you." She said, referring to her time without a real home, "It makes me sick to think that your own village turned against you like that. What were they thinking?"

"They weren't," Ruffnut offered, frowning angrily, "I bet anything Mildew was at the front of that little raid." She said, "You know he's been baying for blood ever since he found out that there's a dragon in the village? Stoick threatened to lock the man up when he started forming a mob to march up here and take Stormfly to the butchery."

Astrid reached for the handle of the black battle axe on her back, "I'd like to see him try it." She sneered, "I'll bet this axe Hiccup made would make him think twice."

Olga was sitting in Heather's lap throughout the little conversation munching on an apple dumpling, and looked up at the women, "How come no one likes Stormfly?" The little girl asked, "She's really nice."

"She's a dragon," Astrid sighed, sitting herself down at the table, "And adults like Mildew just don't like dragons, sweetie," she said, "But they'll get used to her, because after all that they've put me through, they won't dare come near her."

Camicazi nodded, "You could use her in battle, too." She pointed out, "Flying on the back of a dragon could give a bowman a really good advantage."

Before Astrid could respond, there was a loud thudding on her door, "Oy, Astrid," Gobber roared out, waking Stormfly, "We need ye and that girls tae get ready tae fight! We've an invasion comin'!"

"What?!" Astrid bolted to the door. She flung it open and found Gobber with his hook raised to knock again, "What's happening?!"

"Lava-Louts," Gobber said, pressing a crate into her arms, "Here, that's armor made from the same stuff that Hiccup's swords are, Mithril I calls it," he said, "One for each o' ya in there. The rest o' ye'll need tae come down tae the forge for weapons. Astrid, ye've got that axe from Hiccup, so ye'll be fine."

"Stormfly," Astrid called out to the dragon, who bounded toward her in a few leaps. Astrid smiled and caressed her muzzle, "You stay here and look after Olga for me, alright?"

The dragon crooned mournfully, but gave a confirming nod, moving back into the house to where Olga was sitting as Camicazi, Ruffnut and Heather moved toward her.

"What's the plan?" The blonde girl asked of the smith, "How do we deal with them?"

Gobber grinned, "Frankly, I'd like Ruff and Tuff tae help me with a few...surprises."

Ruffnut grinned at the man, "What did you have in mind?"

=x=

Dusk was just settling as Stoick spied the first ship along the horizon. The sails were easily recognized by the fact that they were made from bleached dragon hide, and the ships themselves were decorated with dragon bones, skulls and spikes of every size.

"Hm, four ships," the man said, taking the spyglass away, "That'd be about thirty men altogether for each ship, wouldn't ye say, Alvin?"

"Aye, that I would," Alvin said, having a look for himself, "Olaf will most likely lead the charge. We kill him, though, and they won't stop. This is gonna be Hel, ye know that, don'cha?"

Stoick nodded, "Aye, I know it, but what can I do?" He frowned, "I'd rather have my people fight to the last and protect themselves rather than be slaughtered like cattle, or oxen."

Alvin nodded in understanding as he watched the people of Berk as well as the men and women of the Bog-Burglars, Berserkers, Hysterics and Meatheads moving about through the village. "I'll just get into place then, shall I?"

"Please do, but don't over do it, Al," the Hooligan chief said, "Ye still need tae tell the wee lass about her parents."

"Don't go reminding me about that, else I may just let one of them sea-rats gut me." Alvin ground out, looking at his old friend, "How can I tell the lass that it's my fault that her parents are gone?"

"Just like that, really," Stoick chuckled, sighing, "Ah, Alvin, I know how ye feel. Look at me. I pushed my own son away hoping it would keep him safe, but that did'nae work. He just became what I should've been a long time ago."

Alvin snorted, "At least he won't hate you for what you've done, unlike me." He sighed, moving off through the village.

Stoick remained, however, his gaze locked on the coming ships. Olaf, he knew, was a ruthless monster of a warrior if tales about him had any merit. And by Thor he hoped that those tales were as false as stories about the Rim of the Sky.

"Chief," Astrid's voice caught his attention as the young woman came up behind him, her new armor gleaming in the waning light, "Everything's ready in the village. We're just waiting for your orders."

Stoick regarded her for a moment and knew immediately why his son had given his heart to her. Astrid was a beautiful young woman, and now looked to be a true Valkyrie wearing the black armor made for her by his son, and Gobber. The black axe attached to her back looked like it could cut through just about anything, the blue and yellow war paint on her face made her look almost feral.

"Have all the women and children that cannae fight been secured?" Stoick asked, looking off toward the village.

"Yeah, I put them all at my place since it a half-mile out from the village and well hidden by the trees." She said, clutching at her axe, "They're really coming for us, aren't they?"

Stoick nodded, frowning, his brow furrowed, "Aye, that they are, m'dear, that they are." He said, "The twins' traps should be ready. Eric and Ingrid ought tae be with their wee lass, but they insisted on fighting. Good that ye've taken all of those people in, lass, though wouldn't have blamed ye if ye didn't."

Astrid shook her head, her braid bouncing, "It's not who I am. I may have been treated like dirt at some point, but now...I really have something to fight for, you know?"

"Aye, and so do I," he grunted out a chuckle, "I still want tae live to see my first grandchild, ye know?"

Astrid blushed slightly, but the thought had crossed her mind when she had shared her bed with Hiccup that one night. She could see it quite clearly. Hiccup working in the forge, and a small auburn-haired child bouncing into the smithy and into his arms. She could even see Toothless and Stormfly playing with a small band of tiny Night Furies. And she wanted that. She wanted that badly.

"Get ready," Stoick growled, hefting his axe, "It's time."

The dragon bone ships crashed into the shores of Berk, the warriors pouring out of them in droves. They moved through the village, fast and silent. At their center was a truly giant of a man at twleve feet tall, dressed in the same bone armor as his men, carrying a massive dragon bone mace in his grasp. The ground nearly shook with each step he took as he made his way into the village he and his people hated most.

"Bring me the chief," he growled out to his men as the first house was broken into...and the roaring of his men while they were doused with a searing liquid.

Changewing acid was strong enough to eat through even the thickest of bones with ease, and the Lava-Louts were soaked in the noxious stuff as soon as they tried to enter any of the houses.

"CHARGE!" The village roared to life as the combined tribes rushed headlong into battle. Pots of flaming liquid were thrown into the fray as the Lava-Louts surged forward, even as they burned alive in their armor. Nightmare gel.

Dagur himself led the charge, his heart hammering in his chest as he stormed ahead of his kin. The Mithril battle axe he held flew through the air, and crashed through armored flesh, spraying the ground in his berserker fury. The attacking tribe roared their challenge as they met the defense of Berk. Their bone-weapons proving just as effective as Hiccup's new weapons.

Astrid had given out a wild war cry of her own as she lept into the battle. Her axe sliced right through the dragon bone armor of the enemy tribe cleanly. She was a whirlwind of destruction as she struck blow after blow, not even caring if she killed her target or not, and merely moved on to the next one.

Arrows flew through the air, finding chinks in the armor, or plowing right through it in some cases as the darts found their marks and felled the bone-clad warriors. Blood dripped from her weapon once she took a small breath, her face smeared with it. As she was about to lunge back into the fray, the sound of heavy footsteps reached her as the massive figure of the Lava-Lout chieftain loomed over her, his massive mace raised.

"Astrid!" Ruffnut screamed, and tackled the girl out of harm's way. The mace crashed into the ground, throwing dust and dirt all around as the two girls scrambled back to their feet. "We need to get out of here!"

"No," Astrid snarled, "We can't back down, not even from him!" She readied her axe as Ruffnut hefted a silvery Claymore, "You take the left."

"You take the right," Ruffnut nodded, "Good luck, Sister."

Olaf turned his massive head toward them, his eyes gleaming in the light of fires blazing all around them, "You two should have run while had the chance," he growled in a grotesquely gravely voice, "Now I'll break your legs, and give you to my men. You will take a long time to die."

"Go!" Astrid darted forward on the right, and then darted to the left as Ruffnut did the same by darting two the right while Olaf swung again. The massive weapon missed, just barely passing and grazing Ruffnut's helmet, and the pair slashed at the man's legs. Astrid buried her black blade all the way to the haft, planting her foot on the bony shin guard and yanking it free in a spray of red as Ruffnut whipped around and slashed open the back of his knee, forcing a howl of rage and pain from the man.

"Astrid, up and over!" Ruffnut shouted, sliding behind the man and cupping her hands together. Astrid took the hint as she ran back, and stepped into her friend's grasp before she was thrown, and vaulted over the giant. She brought her axe up and over her head, and brought it down on his armored head...and the blade slid off of his helmet, splitting it in two, and taking his left ear with it. The man's face became enraged as he bared his teeth, filed to fangs, and swung at the two girls again. Astrid was quick to move out of the way as she landed, rolling out of his range.

Ruffnut kept ducking and dodging behind him, taking whatever chance she could see to cut into him with her sword. Olaf had had enough of that, and kicked out, catching the girl in the chest, and throwing her into a building more than thirty yards away where she crumpled and lay. Astrid saw this and gave out a mad screech as she attacked again.

She got in close as the giant swung at her again, and attacked the weak plating around his wrist, her blade biting into the man's arm below the armor. His grip on the mace weakened with the blow, forcing him to drop the weapon. Astrid saw her chance and swung right at his midsection.

"GAH!" Olaf sank to his knees as the blade sank deeply into his armor, biting into flesh. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he glared at the woman, "Hooligan wench!"

"Son of a half-troll!" Astrid snapped, taking a silvery dagger from her belt, and plunged it into his skull. Olaf's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell to the side. Not taking the time to celebrate her victory, Astrid gripped the haft of her axe and yanked it out, but felt herself slammed to the ground by another attacker. Another Lava-Lout appeared above her with a bone-sword poised to run her through.

An arrow flew like an angry hornet and plunged into the man's armored head, knocking him over where he did not rise again. Astrid looked from where the arrow had come, and saw Heather waving at her alongside Camicazi, who was also armed with one of the silvery bows.

Astrid nodded her thanks, and went to check on Ruffnut. The girl was just picking herself up as Astrid knelt beside her, "Hey, Sis, are you alright?"

Ruffnut shook her head to clear her vision, "Ugh, what the Helheim hit me?" She asked aloud, and looked over to where the Lava-Lout chief lay dead. "Oh, you got him, huh?"

Astrid smiled at her, "Yeah, I got him, thanks to you," she said, helping the girl to her feet, "You good to fight?"

"Just point me in the right direction," Ruffnut said, shaking her head again, and taking up her sword, "Where's that idiot brother of mine?"

"Last I saw of him he was throwing flaming pots of Nightmare gel at the Lava-Louts." Astrid said, smirking, "He gets to have all the fun, huh?"

Ruffnut giggled, and nodded as they trudged back into the battle.

Across the village, Stoick was throwing warrior across the field, and plunging his sword into another. He then picked up a hay cart, and threw it into an advancing wave of warriors, crushing them before they could get too far.

The battle was going well. Gobber's ideas about using the Nightmare gel, and Changewing acid had been ingenious. Now all they had to do was hold them off until they'd had enough.

"ARGH!" Stoick whipped around just in time to block the strike of a blade, but to his ire, it wasn't the blade of a Lava-Lout, but of an ally.

"Mogadon!" Stoick scowled, "Ye'd better have a good explanation for this!"

"Does it matter?!" The Meathead chief roared angrily and struck again. The two chiefs traded blows, neither one giving an inch as Mogadon desperately tried to kill Stoick, "We never should've come here!" Mogadon sneered, "I could've had my people off our island long before Olaf got to us! And then I'd be rid of you, you weak-hearted fool!"

"What have I ever done to earn such a betrayal!" Stoick demanded, "We've been friends for years!"

"And yet you've never once reached out a hand to anyone else!" Mogadon roared furiously, "I never would have asked, but you should've seen it for yourself how my people were suffering!"

"They're fighting with me!" Stoick growled, "If you have their loyalty, then where are they?!"

Mogadon roared and slashed at the man, his blow parried, and was kicked back, "They won't follow me anymore!" Mogadon growled, holding his bruised ribs, "Thuggory, my son, he's just like your damned runt of a son!" He growled, staggering forward, "If I'd left him here, then they'd have all turned against me as soon as I raised my blade!"

"So you sent your only son into what could be a death trap," Stoick sneered, his hand gripping his sword tightly, "All to get him out of the way, and maybe even kill him? You're no chief!"

"Neither are you!" Mogadon roared, and raised his blade. Just as he was about to strike, and sword point exploded from his chest. "Guh!"

"He's a chief alright," Alvin sneered from behind him, "He is _my_ chief, and _I'm_ the only one allowed to kill him." He pulled the sword from his chest, and let the man drop.

Stoick snorted as Alvin cleaned his blade, "Ye just had to go and poke yer nose in my fight, didn't ye?"

"Feh, you're welcome," Alvin chuckled, "You know he wasn't worth. Besides, you wouldn't want his son blaming you for his death, would you?"

Stoick shook his head, "No, I suppose not." He said, his ear twitching, "Do...do ye hear something?"

Alvin frowned and listened for a moment.

A high-pitched keening was coming from somewhere, and getting louder...and louder! "Night Fury!"

"Hiccup!" Stoick looked to the sky as the Night Fury, Toothless, arrowed through the aid, screeching at the top of his lungs. He flew over a cluster of Lava-Louts and let loose a blast of fire into their midst.

A second roar sounded as another dragon, this one mottled black and grey and carrying Thuggory if Stoick's eyes were still as good as they once were. The dragon let loose a blast of greenish fire, engulfing another cluster of warriors.

=x=

Once the two dragons and their riders arrived, the battle began to wane. While the Lava-Louts were fierce and unafraid of death, the combined efforts of the five other tribes was more than enough to beat them back, and utterly destroy their forces. The dragons attacking the army had only sped things along.

And not the villagers piled the bodies of the dead on the ships, preparing to push them out to sea.

"That was quite an entrance, lad," Alvin commented to the young Hooligan heir as he helped with the clean up. "Never thought I'd see the day when someone would ride atop a dragon, let alone a Night Fury."

Hiccup shook his head, "I just wish we'd gotten back sooner," Hiccup said, tossing a piece of bone armor into a pile, "Gods, I never thought we'd be attacked by one of our own."

Alvin sighed and clapped the boy on the shoulder, "As you live life, you'll find that a great many things will happen that you do not expect." He said, and tossed another body onto the boats, "That's the last of them," he turned and hollered, "Stoick! We're ready down here!"

The ships were pushed back out to see, and set ablaze. No words were said over the invaders bodies as the ships burned and sank below the waves. Throughout it all, however, Hiccup hadn't caught sight of Astrid.

The young man worried that she'd been injured during the battle. Hiccup and Toothless then traveled through the village, taking in the destruction. Greetings were called out as he passed. The villagers praised him, him of all people. Even though he had done good, however, he couldn't feel like he had done right. So many were dead.

"Mama," Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that voice. "Papa?"

' _Oh, dear gods, please no,_ ' he prayed silently. And of course, his prayers went unanswered as he turned about and saw little Olga, Stormfly at her side, searching through the village. He hadn't seen Eric or Ingrid since returning to the village the previous evening. But...that didn't mean...

And then he saw Astrid moving toward the little girl and pick her up in her arms, "Auntie...where's Mama and Papa?" The girl asked.

Astrid shook her head, "I...don't know, sweetie..."

Stormfly crooned sorrowfully, nudging against her friend, and looking up at the child. Toothless warbled out a quiet greeting as he and Hiccup moved toward them. Astrid's face lit up happily for a moment as she saw them.

Hiccupt hugged both of them tightly. "Olga?" The little girl looked at him, her little eyes red and puffy, "I...don't really know that much about being a father...nothing at all, really." He said, frowning, "But if you'll let me - "

"If you'll let us," Astrid put in, smiling at the little girl, "We could try?"

Olga was looking between the two of them, her face falling. "Mama and Papa aren't coming back, are they?"

* * *

 _ **Armor: Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Mithril armor set - standard - to be evolved into Nordic Carved Armor.**_

 _ **Astrid: Elder Scrolls Skyrim Ebony armor set (No helmet). One Skyrim-Ebony battle axe.**_

 ** _Weapons: Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Silver Weapons(full set-I.E. Mithril)_**

 ** _Yeah, I know, how could I do that to poor little Olga? Because I am a cruel bas - song of a half-troll (pardon me). Anyway, crazy as this chapter was, I hoped you all enjoyed it. If so, leave a review._**


	11. Chapter 11

_**11: The Beast**_

 _ **Nightmarish Nemesis**_

* * *

Quiet, large and powerful was the beast that stalked the edge of the village of Berk. Its huffing breath came in short bursts as it sniffed the air, scented with blood from a battle two days passed. Drawn by the scent, the beast lumbered into the village in search of a meal. But there was no food to be had in the open. The scent of blood was old. Too old for there to be flesh to be had. And it craved flesh.

A small mewling low caught its attention as it turned its massive head toward a paddock. A young bull dozed in the still of the night. Fresh, tender, and easily killed.

The beast charged, closing the distance before the poor creature knew what was upon it, and crashed through the wooden barrier of the fence. Rearing back on its hind legs, freeing its front paws, the beast loomed over the startled animal, and gave a swing of its mighty paw, sending the young animal sailing through the air.

The startled and pained cry of the bull awoke the others, starting a small stampede as they tried to flee from the beast. The beast ignored them, only snapping its jaws at them in passing as it advanced on the downed animal. The wounded and panicked bull tried to get up from the ground, but the unfortunate animal's legs were broken from the fall, leaving it helpless as the beast advanced.

With a snort and a growl, the beast closed its jaws around the bull's neck, snapping it in a single bite. It then began to feed, rending flesh and bone alike. When finished, only a few bits of hid and blood remained of the young bull, and the beast moved off in search of the rest of the heard.

=x=

When morning came to the village, it was to find a massacre. The visiting chiefs, Stoick and Gobber all gathered around the remains of the beef herd that Stoick had once been so proud of. Now all that remained were bones and very few scraps.

"What in the name of the gods did such a thing?" Heather asked, surveying the carnage. "Was this a dragon's doing?"

Stoick had had the very same thought in seeing his prized herd destroyed, but something wasn't right. If a dragon had attacked, then it certainly wouldn't have taken the whole herd. And dragons never attacked within the harsh winter months. Not unless they were desperate.

"Look at this mess!" Mildew screeched out, "See what that fool boy has brought upon us?! Those children of Loki have laid waste to our only cattle!"

The effect was instant. Anger. Indignation. And absolute hatred for dragons once again flared up.

"We should run those two traitors out of the village and kill their beasts before they kill again!" Mildew screeched, already heading for the Hofferson house, "What will we do when they turn on our children!?"

Stoick turned to the crowd, "HOLD!" He bellowed, halting the mob before they could get going, and stepped up in front of Mildew, looking down at the man with utter contempt. "You will do nothing without my consent. Is that clear, Mildew?" He growled as the man shrank back as the man had a hand on his claymore. He then turned his attention to his people, "So quick are you to turn on those that saved us not two days passed!" He roared angrily, "Thuggory also has a dragon, don't forget. Will you risk war with the Meatheads just to have him and his beast gone?!" He snarled, "This was no dragon attack!"

"The what was it?" Someone called out, "What could slaughter our entire herd?"

Stoick frowned. He had heard tales of great beasts that craved flesh, and went into frenzy when it was there to be had, but this was the first time he'd actually seen such a killing. His own father had told him stories of once such beast that was supposed to be extinct after having been hunted down to the last of its kind. "Bring me Snotlout Jorgenson! He and Thuggory are the best trackers on the island at the moment. They will examine the area and find any tracks. Impeded them not, or you shall answer to me!"

Thuggory stepped forward, nodding to the chief, and set to work as someone fetched Snotlout. Together the two boys picked over the killing field. There were tracks all over, and they were obviously from something horrendously large. Snotlout had seen large dragon prints before, but never anything like this. And the claw prints left by the animal were five long, sharp, hooked claws, and far too big to be from either Night Fury, or from Thuggory's Thunderclaw.

"Fur," Thuggory said, plucking a large black-brown tuft from the ground, "this was no dragon's doing." He said, holding the fur up for the chief to see.

"A bear," Snotlout said, looking down at the tracks, "But it's not like any bear I've ever seen. It's too big!"

Stoick had lumbered over to the pair, examining each piece of evidence, and nodded, "Aye, I've only heard tales of such a beast." He said, taking the tuft of fur from Thuggory, "T'is a cave bear. No other beast could do such damage."

Dagur looked at the man, "I thought there weren't any more of them?" He asked, looking to his father, and Bertha, "Didn't the chiefs of old wipe them out decades ago?"

"Aye, I thought so, too," Bertha said, shrugging, "My gran favored a cloak made from the skin of one of the beasts, but I've certainly never seen one."

Oswald frowned, "I have," the old man said, sighing, "They are not beasts to be trifled with. When I saw the last one of Berserk, it took twenty men to kill the beast, and only five of them survived."

"So where did this one come from?" Camicazi asked, "It can't have been hiding all this time, could it? I mean Berk is a small island."

"It swam the great seas," said the voice of Norbert the Nutjob, "From shores of a granite, through seas of ice, it came, from a land that borders the sky where beasts of old still roam."

Camicazi looked at him, more than a little confused. "Huh?"

Her mother rolled her eyes, "He's rambling about the Rim of the Sky again, dear." She said, placing her hands on her hips, "The myth of the Rim says that its peaks rise so high that they border the sky. And legends say that the beasts there are all giants, like the cave bears is. But even if that myth were true, the bear couldn't have made such a swim."

Stoick frowned, "Wherever it came from, it has to go, now." He growled, "We've too much on the line right now in preparing for winter, and the attack on the nest, and now we have to deal with a giant bear, and a Titan Wing Nightmare on my island? The gods must be laughing at us."

Thuggory looked at the Hooligan chief, "You won't be facing this beast alone." He said, frowning, "I know that we have a lot to do between now and then, but seeing as we're wintering here for the attack, the least that my men and I can do is help you flush out this beast and take it down if it comes to a fight."

Bertha nodded, grinning, "I've always wanted a bear skin rug."

"I'll make a necklace out of it claws!" Dagur declared loudly.

Stoick looked at them all gratefully. "I truly appreciate this." He turned to Gobber, "Go get the hounds. We'll need them for the hunt...and where is Hiccup? He's usually up and around by now."

"Stoick!" Gustav pushed through the crowd, "Hiccup went hunting early this morning!"

"What?!"

=x=

Crouching low to the ground, bow in hand, Hiccup peeked through the bush he was crouching behind. For the last two days after the battle, he had been tracking the trail of the the Titan Wing Nightmare he had picked up on just before his father's return. The trail was just as clear as the first time he found it near the beach. The dragon left a massive trail, which was well-worn down from much use, though it seemed smaller than he remembered.

Now he was certain he had found the dragon's lair.

It was a cave, the surrounding bushes and shrubbery burned down and scattered to make the dragon more comfortable. It also made the area a perfect landing area for the beast. The area was more than large enough for a dragon with such a large wingspan.

Slowly, the young man inched out of the bushes, and into the open. Keeping his bow ready, he inched around to the opening of the cave. Once there, he saw that the area was heavily trampled, and littered with shed teeth, claws and scales. The dragon had been here for a long time.

He saw several sets of prints outside the cave, all of them belonging to a very large dragon...or, almost all of them. Hiccup noted that there were two separate prints; and one of them was from a smaller dragon. ' _So there's two of them?_ ' He wondered silently, ' _But I haven't seen a dragon this large during the raids. So where's it getting its food?_ '

Carefully, he edged around to the mouth of the cave, and peeked inside. A quick look showed him that there was indeed a massive form inside, curled up and asleep. It was a darker colored Nightmare that he'd never seen before, and heavily battle-scarred. It had claw marks, old and new all over its hide. Some were so deep that not even shedding would make them disappear.

The spines along the back were also broke, and tattered. This was the beast that he had marked his trail some weeks earlier. His heart felt like it was trying to leap its way into his throat the way it was pounding, but there was really no turning back for him now.

He slung his bow across his back and entered the cave.

The dragon's breath was coming in ragged, uneven grunts as he moved closer to it. the boy frowned as he made his way around the beast, and saw that some of the claw marks were damnably fresh, only days old. Even though it was tattered and beaten, the dragon, he felt, was a beautiful creature. Having come closer to the beast, he saw that the normally red and black patterns on the dragon's hide, were instead dark blue, and black patterns. If he were in the habit of hide-hunted, he knew that this rare color would bring a hefty sum. But given the scarred state of the dragon, it was worthless to traders. But to Hiccup, it marked the dragon as a seasoned warrior of its species.

Snorting, the dragon's eyes began to open, revealing one to be blinded, and its gaze fell on the young Viking.

"Hey there," He said gently, "You had me pretty scared for a little while, you know?"

The dragon cocked its head curiously, sniffing at him. To the dragon, this strange, and brave human smelled of dragons. True, humans had troubled it in the past, but this one didn't seem to pose a threat.

"You got beat up pretty badly, huh, big fella," he asked inching closer. This prompted the dragon to rise. Hiccup was impressed. From nose to tail, the dragon had to have been over seventy feet long, and his wingspan was easily seventy, or close to it. But something about the dragon caught and held his attention. His wings.

His wings were shredded, and unable to carry him through the air anymore. Whatever had left those scars all over him had left him to a dragon's death sentence. A life without flight.

Hiccup found himself close to tears when he saw the state of the dragon. "You must hate not being able to fly." He said somberly, reaching his hand out to the dragon. The Monstrous Nightmare snorted, almost seeming amused. And then he slowly lowered his head, and touched his snout to the boy's palm. Hiccup smiled at the dragon. "How would you like to come back to Berk?" He asked, backing out of the cave, the dragon slowly following after him. "Maybe we could have Gothi look at your wings and - "

The rush of wings filled his ears as a loud, heavy thud sounded from outside. A snorting, chuffing growl reached his ears as the sound of scales being dragged across the stony ground came to him. The other dragon had returned.

Indeed, this Nightmare was much smaller than the one that he had befriended, and carried the carcass of a tuna in its jaws. An angry growl emitted from its throat as it scented the human in its friend's lair. And then it spotted him.

It roared at him, and ignited its body, snarling at the young human.

"Uh, now, now," Hiccup held up his hands, "No need to get hostile."

The younger Nightmare charged.

Hiccup yelped and fell back as the dragon charged at him, jaws agape. Before he could reach for his bow, the Titan Wing Nightmare roared, shaking the cavern with its might, and quelled the younger dragon's anger. The elder dragon rumbled in his chest and looked down at the boy. Hiccup sighed in relief seeing that he wasn't about to be caught up in a fight between two huge dragons.

But the younger dragon still posed a problem.

Taking a chance on it, Hiccup reached into his belt pouch, and pulled out some dragon nip, the same garlic-scented grass that Toothless loved to roll in. The younger Nightmare's nostrils flared as it caught the scent of the grass, and leaned down as Hiccup held up his hand, then rubbed it against the dragon's nose. The slit eyes dilated and the dragon practically melted.

Hiccup chuckled as the dragon sat back up, shaking its head as Hiccup put the grass away. The dragon snaked its head forward looking for the little bundle, but Hiccup just managed to push him away, the new playfulness a welcome relief from the aggression he'd seen only a moment ago.

Between the two Nightmares, Hiccup would have his hands full, but now that he had their trust training them for riders would be easier than pressing silver coins.

Or so he thought...

"What happened here?!" He yelled upon seeing the mess around the village. He found Arne Ingerman and his family piling up bones in a cart to be tossed away when he led the two Nightmares in, the younger one snapping up a meaty bone for himself. Fishlegs caught sight of him, and waved, immediately enthralled by the two new dragons.

"Where did you find them?!" The husky Viking asked, smiling at the elder blue Nightmare, "I've never even heard of a Monstrous Nightmare of this color. He's beautiful! And look how big he is!" He smiled, much to the elder's pleasure as he preened, "And look at all of those scars!" he turned to the young heir, "Is this that Titan Wing you were talking about?"

Hiccup nodded, "I think so, but Fish, what in the name of Freya happened here?" He said, sweeping his arm over the village, "Are those Dad's prized yaks? He's gonna be madder than Fenrir when he was bound!"

"He already is," Fishlegs frowned, "What's worse is that Mildew tried to blame your dragons for this."

"Again!?" Hiccup gaped, "How - How could one, even two dragons cause this much chaos?!" He said, gesturing to the veritable bone yard, "Night Furies like fish more than anything, so why would Toothless and Stormfly go after the herd?!"

Fishlegs shrugged, "You know Mildew, Hiccup," the young scribe said, frowning, "And with that whole thing back when the whales came and he threw that rock at you, he's still pretty upset about not having his share of the kills."

"Then he can shove off," Hiccup snapped, looking up at the dragons, "This red male was bringing in a tuna when I found them, so it couldn't have been them. And the big one can't even fly right now, so - "

"What? Can't fly?!" Fishlegs yelped, looking up at the aged Titan Wing, "What happened to him?"

Hiccup shrugged, pointing to the scars on his wings and body, "He must've tangled with something big, because whatever gave him those scars, tore his wings to shreds. I'm hoping Gothi can have a look at him, and maybe fix him up?"

Fishlegs nodded, smiling, "Good idea. I'll go get Gothi, so you can take them down to the holding pens. Astrid's down there with Olga, and the other children teaching them to fight. The whole thing with the attack really rattled her, you know?"

Hiccup did know.

Fighting dragons had been one thing, but fighting other Vikings had been something utterly different. Astrid had woken up because of nightmares once or twice during the following night as they had lain in bed with little Olga sleeping between them. She had calmed down right away when she saw that she had only been dreaming, but it had taken a long time for her to fall back asleep. With the little girl between them, Hiccup had done the best he could in holding them both, which Astrid was silently grateful for.

Not only was she rattled, though, but so was his friend, Thuggory. Mogadon had betrayed his father's trust during the attack, and had been killed for it by Alvin in his father's defense. Such an act had wounded Thuggory worse than if he'd been hit by a battleaxe. Now he was still coming to grips with being the new leader of his tribe. Bonesnarl, his Thunderclaw, was helping him in that predicament. Having a dragon of his own, while not as fierce and well-known as the Night Fury, helped raise him in the eyes of his men, and Bonesnarl was a lot more ferocious than many of his brethren. Whoever had held the dragon had made him into a fighter.

"Where's my dad?" Hiccup asked, expecting his father to be around considering his beef herd was now nothing but bones.

"He and the other chiefs went out after the thing that did this," Fishlegs said, "He was really upset when he found out you'd gone out into the woods hunting with something like this running around. I heard my father talking to Spitelout about something called a cave bear. And from what I've read, they're nearly as big as an adult Nightmare at fourteen to twenty feet tall, and close to four thousand pounds."

Hiccup nodded, "I guess I was leaving just about the same time he was sneaking into the village, then." He said, frowning, "I'm just glad he stayed away from Astrid's place. The last thing I want is for something like that to come crashing through the door with me and the girls inside."

"Toothless and Stormfly could handle it," Fishlegs assured him with a smile, "If there's one dragon that could handle a cave bear around here, then it'd be one of those Night Furies." He said, and left the young heir to search for Gothi, while Hiccup led his new dragons down to the pits.

Astrid was there, of course she was, as were Olga and their two dragons. Toothless was lying in the sun next to the wall, well out of reach of the group of children practicing with blunted weapons. Stormfly was sitting dutifully close by with Olga sitting at her side, her tail tucked around the child protectively. Meeting Olga had sent the female Night Fury into maternal mode, young as she was, and was always by the child's side whenever Astrid wasn't.

Gustav was among the children as Astrid demonstrated how to swing at a target. And when he caught sight of Hiccup with the two Nightmares at his heels...well...

"Holy Loki!" the young teenager shouted, dropping his weapon and bounding over to them. This alerted the other children to the new arrivals, many of them frightened of the gigantic Titan Wing Nightmare, but the aged beast didn't seem bothered by Gustav's enthusiasm.

Woken by the ruckus, Toothless got up and stretched, crooning a greeting to the two new dragons, and bounded over to Hiccup. Hiccup rubbed Toothless behind his ear flaps, and laughed at the draconic grin on his face.

Emboldened by the gentleness of the Titan Wing, the other children came forward to meet him and the smaller red Nightmare. Her lesson ruined, Astrid grinned at her betrothed, and placed her axe back on her shoulder, "And just where have you been, Dragon Master Hiccup?" She smiled at him, "I thought you were going hunting?"

"Well, I was, I just ended up hunting these two down as a bonus," he said, gesturing to the two dragons, then he turned serious, "I heard about the bear attack. Was anyone hurt?"

Astrid shook her head, "No, but you've seen the plaza, it's a mess," she sighed, and went to pick up Olga when the little girl came over to see the two new dragons. "Stoick was furious, of course, more so when he found out you'd gone out."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Hiccup sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I'll take the blame when he gets back."

Olga was looked at the big blue dragon, and frowned, "How come his wings are like that?"

Hiccup smirked and took her from Astrid, marching her right up to the big beast, "He must've gotten in a fight with that mean old bear that killed all yaks," he said as the dragon snaked his head down to the pair, sniffing at the child and blowing out a hot breath in her face, making her giggle.

"He's certainly a handsome dragon," Astrid said as she went up to him with Stormfly at her side crooning anxiously as she regarded the larger dragon. "I've never seen a Nightmare with blue scales before."

"I know, it's kind'a why I had to bring him back," he said, smiling, "I mean, I couldn't just leave him out there to never fly again, could I?"

Astrid giggled as the blue Nightmare nudged her shoulder, and snorted at Stormfly, "I wouldn't think so," she smiled, and scratched him under the chin behidn his barbles.

By now the younger dragon had gotten over his suspicion of the smaller humans and was having a blast letting them crawl all over him. It was then that Fishlegs arrived with Gothi in tow.

Gothi made a small nod to the giant dragon before she began her examination. The frown marring her face did ease any of Hiccup's nerves, however. the wings were the worst part of her prodding. When she was through, she let out a sigh, "The wings can be stitched," she said quietly, "But, Hiccup, he is very old. Much older than any dragon that I have ever encountered. So much older than myself, even." She said, patting the dragon on the snout as he nudged her affectionately. "He has lost many teeth, and cannot eat as he should."

Hiccup frowned, "The younger one was hunting for him while he was recovering."

"He needs teeth to feed, young one," the elder said, shaking her head, "I can fix his wings, but not his teeth."

Astrid frowned at this, then smiled, "Hey, what about Gobber? He's good at making false teeth."

Hiccup laughed, "False teeth for a dragon," he smiled, looping his arm around her, "It's worth a shot. At least he'll be able to fly again.

* * *

 _ **As we see in this chapter, things have not cooled down after the Lava-Lout attack, in fact it has brought more trouble in the shape of a massive bear that has no qualms about going after an adult dragon. And Hiccup bring home two new friends.**_

 _ **If you liked this chapter, leave a review!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry that it's been so long. Anyway, here we go again.**_

* * *

 _ **12: Silverfang pt.1**_

 _ **The Greatest Treasure**_

* * *

Stoic and the other chieftains spent hours upon hours searching the forest once they set out after the cave bear, but it was only to find that the trail had gone cold when the bear seemingly swam out to sea. The hounds were unable to pick up any other trails that might lead them to its den.

"I doona understand," Stoick sighed as they trudged back to the village, "where could such a beast have gone?"

Thuggory shook his head at the man, "Anywhere it wanted to, I suppose," he sighed, "But at least it's not on the island anymore."

Bertha frowned at the young man, "Thug, ye ain't stupid." She commented causing the boy to grimace, "There's been a killin' here, and it knows there's more meat to be had. It'll be back"

"Of that ye can be sure," Oswald, who was riding on his son's back, said, "A cave bear will never abandon an area that it know can provide it with food, be it livestock, or other things."

Dagur nodded in agreement, "And a bear that size could easily break into one of the houses here," he sighed, feeling robed of a good fight when they lost the animal's trail. He looked over at Stoick, "It'll probably go after the sheep next, so you might be able to set a trap for it using them as bait?"

Stoick nodded, "A fine idea, Dagur," he said as the stepped out of the forest and into the village, "But fer now, I'd rather just find out where Hiccup's run off to, and - "

"Chief!" Mildew screeched, hobbling over to the group of hunters, the chief of Berk nearly palming his face in annoyance.

The man groaned audibly, "Yes, Mildew, what do ye want now?"

"That boy o' yer's brought home another pair of dragons!" Mildew hollered loudly, catching their attention, "He's down in the arena right now!"

Dagur suddenly rushed forward, nearly causing his father to fall from his back, "I call dibs!"

"Whoa, no ye don't!" Bertha hollered, chasing after the crazed Berserker.

Thuggory chuckled. "Can't say as I blame them."

"Aye," Stoick groaned, looking at him and Snotlout, who was holding onto the hunting hounds' leashes. "Snotlout, take the dogs back to the kennels, Thug, let's go see if I get to throttle my son."

"Aw, no fair!" Snotlout whined, "I wanted to do that!"

Stoick ignored him as the two chieftains made their way toward the arena. As they got closer, the saw a large crowd gathered around the roof, peering down into the pen, and Stoick distinctly heard Gobber's off-pitch singing.

"Oh, I got my axe, and I got my mace, I love my wife with the ugly face, I'm a Viking through and through~!"

Stoick chuckled, "He never sings that bloody song unless he's happy," he said to the young blond man, who smirked. Entering the arena they soon found the rest of the chieftains, and their families, gathered around a...Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare!

Stoick was shocked into silence upon seeing the massive dragon. More to the point, he was even more shocked to see Gobber pounding what looked like silver false teeth into the creature's gums. The mouth of the dragon was being held open by Hiccup, while he spotted Gustav sitting on the young man's shoulders holding out a threaded pole with a small bundle of grass attached to the end of the string which dangled over the dragon's nose.

He then spotted Gothi and Flay stitching rather large rips in the dragon's wings back together.

"Uncle Stoick!" He was brought out of his shock by his not-quite-adopted granddaughter as Olga came running up to him, and practically flung herself into his arms.

"Och, ye wee devil!" He chuckled, "What's been going on here?"

Olga giggled, "Uncle Hiccup brought those two dragons back this morning." She said, pointing at the the Titan Wing, and a smaller dragon he hadn't noticed resting in the corner of the arena. "Uncle says the really big one got in a bad fight with the bear that came and ate up all the cattle last night, too, and Grandma Gothi is trying to sew his wings up so he can fly again."

"That about sums it up," Astrid said as she came around the dragon, smiling, "Welcome back, Chief."

"Thanks, lassie," he smiled at the young woman, "I'm surprised that the beast's lettin' Gobber pound all those teeth into its mouth."

Astrid giggled, "You can thank Hiccup for that," she said, pointing to Gustav, "That bundle of grass he's holding over his nose makes dragons pretty docile. He's been out like a sailor the whole time."

"He's all googly-eyed!" Olga giggled, pointing to the large eyes of the beast, one of which had been blinded, but the one remaining pupil was shrinking and growing every second the grass touched its nose.

Thuggory chuckled, "I hope that's not real silver he's using for its teeth?"

"Mythril," Astrid smiled, "Silver would've been too soft, and wouldn't have stayed sharp enough for him to hunt, so Hiccup spent a couple of hours smelting a whole bunch of teeth for him out his personal stock." She then frowned, "Did you find the bear?"

Stoick shook his head, "Nay, but we've an idea that might work in luring it back to take care of." He said.

"All done!" Gobber said happily whilst stepping back from the dragon, allowing Hiccup to let the top jaw to come down, Gustav still holding the bundle on his nose dutifully. "Gothi, Flay, how are ye doin' on yer end?"

"Almost done, Gobber," Flay said, survey her work while Gothi finished her side, "I think we're done, dearies"

Hiccup knelt and let Gustav off of his shoulder, "Let it off slowly, and just see what he does, alright?"

"S-sure," the boy said nervously.

Hiccup shooed the children and the other Vikings away, and gestured for Gustav to step back. He stepped back and tossed the pole and grass away. The Nightmare blinked his eyes sleepily, and shook his head, running his forked-tongue over his new teeth, his eyes widening as he felt complete rows of teeth.

"Care to test them out, big guy?" Hiccup asked gesturing to Fishlegs, who came up the beast, offering a very large king salmon. The dragon leaned down, sniffing at the fish for a moment, and snaked his tongue out, wrapping it around the fish and drawing it into his mouth...and proceeded to chew. A content purr rumbled through the Nightmare.

Hiccup laughed and clouted Gobber on the shoulder, "It worked!"

"Course it worked!" The grizzled blacksmith grinned broadly, "Never fixed a tooth that couldn't do its job, don'cha know."

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs hissed, drawing their attention back to the dragon as he looked over his wings, seeing the stitches.

His wings would forever be scared by the battle against the bear, but they would now heal properly and allow him to someday fly again. The Nightmare seemed to understand that, the look upon his face mirroring that of shock, and gratitude.

Sniffing at them, he turned his head toward the aging seamstress and healer. A short dip of his head was the only gesture he made, but the message was more than clear when the two elders looked into the gleaming yellow eye that remained.

Gothi smiled at the beast, giving a short bow herself, "You are quite welcomed, Great One."

With that, the Nightmare rumbled, and curled up in the far side of the arena next to the younger beast, who looked happy for lack of a better term.

"He's gonna need a lot of care, that one." Gobber said to his apprentice, "What'll ye do? We can't verra well empty the storerooms and the smokehouse for him, ye know?"

Hiccup nodded, "I know, but I think the other will hunt for him until he's able to fly on his own again." He said, "But until we know for sure, Toothless and I can hunt for more game and larger fish."

Stoick cleared his throat, "As impressed as I am that ye managed tae tame another dragon, a Titan Wing, no less, we need to talk, son."

"Dad!" Hiccup yelped, having just noticed the man, "Sorry I - "

"I'm angry," he shook his head, "Not really, cause ye must've gone out 'efore that bloody beast slaughtered our beef herd," he sighed, "I'm just glad ye're safe and sound."

"So was I." Astrid said, coming up to loop her arm through his while Stoick passed Olga to her free arm.

"What are we gonna do about the herd, Dad?" Hiccup asked, "With just what we have in the storerooms, we won't - "

"We'll have tae hunt at other isles, lad," he sighed, "But first, we must deal with this bear." He growled, gesturing for Thuggory, Dagur, and Bertha toward him, "We tracked the beast all day long from dawn until near dusk, and all we have tae show is a dead trail that ended at the sea. Either we lock the sheep up in one of the barns, and station warriors around it to ambush the beast, or we send ye, and Thuggory out on ye're dragons to track the beast down, and kill it." He shook his head, "I'd rather not have the second option, but it's all that I can think of, and the ambush idea is a risk as well, considering we'll have a gigantic bear in the village again to wreak havoc!"

"I could go with them," Astrid suggested, "three dragons would be better than two."

Hiccup looked at her, "Astrid, you don't even have a saddle made for Stormfly, yet, and you won't even fly Toothless, with or without me." He said, shaking his head, "I won't take a risk like that, unless you just ride with me and Toothless."

"And if we ambush the bear here, then how many men will it take down before we take it down?" She retorted, "Besides, I won't risk Olga getting caught up in a fight with that thing."

Stoick nodded, "Aye, that's true enough. Olga's the only child of her age in the village. I'd rather her not be hurt." He sighed, "but I still doona like the idea of just ye three going after a beast that dangerous."

"Just flame it to death," Dagur suggested. "Dragon fire burns anything, so the bear won't stand a chance against them."

"He's right," Camicazi said, "I've seen dragons hunting black bears on our island before, and they never stand a chance unless it's a young dragon, and Toothless seems old enough to know better; Bonesnarl, too." She said, smirking at Thuggory.

"Night Furies are rather fast among dragons." Oswald agreed, "And I do not believe that the lad's beast will allow him harm."

Stoick sighed, Bertha placing a hand on his shoulder, "T'is honestly the safest option." She told the chief, "Thuggory's Thunderclaw is strong, but is no' as fast as Hiccup's Night Fury. An' e's powerful to boot."

The Berkian chief, groaned, scrubbing his face, "Alright," he sighed, "But we need to still lock up the sheep, and post guards around the village." He said, looking at his son, "Hiccup, I want ye and Gobber working double time on Mythril spears. The weapons we used against Olaf and 'is tribe were like nothing I've ever seen 'efore. An' against somethin' like a cave bear, they could verra well be exactly what we need." He said, the boy nodding, and turned to Gobber, "Gobber, while he's away tomorrow, I want ye working on a saddle for Astrid's beast. Two Night Furies in the air will double search time."

"Aye, Stoick."

"I have the design I used for my saddle in my workbench," Hiccup told the old smith, "I'll help you with it later." He then turned to his father, "While I'm out, someone needs to look out for Astrid and Olga- I'm not doubting you!" He said quickly as Astrid gave him a fierce glare, "But you've got Olga, and you may be too busy looking after her to look after yourself, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to either of you."

"No need to worry about yer bonnie lassies, lad," said Alvin as he pushed through the crowd, "I'll look after the two o' them until ye get back."

Hiccup and Astrid looked a little uneasy at the Outcast Chief's offer, but Stoick waved off their worries, "I'll vouch for him, son. He'll no' harm yer family."

"Ne'er again," Alvin said, mostly to himself as he smiled at the small makeshift family.

* * *

(*)

* * *

It was very late when Hiccup returned "home" with Astrid waiting up for him, the young man looking tired, singed and hungry. He and Gobber had been true to their word as the two smiths worked tirelessly through the rest of the day, foregoing the mid afternoon, and evening meals at the mead hall.

He slouched into the Hofferson home, and tiredly sat at the table, laying his head down, not even caring for food. Astrid came forward and relieved him of his leather vest, and managed to get him out of his shirt, the woolen cloth smelling heavily of smoke and soot.

"You should eat something," she said, placing a modest plate of bread and cheese in front of him. "You've gone all day without food."

Hiccup had barely enough strength to nod before reaching for the food. "We managed to forge several hundred spears from my Mythril stock." He commented around a mouthful, flinching when he felt a cold cloth touch his back, and saw that Astrid was cleaning soot from him. "Thank you, M'lady."

"Anytime," she said quietly, her cheeks lightly colored pink as she took in his strong, toned back. She knew that he was worn down to the bone, but she could easily see what Ruffnut was talking about. Hiccup may not have been a typical Viking, but he was no less a beautiful male. Her hand stilled on his shoulder, "Are you sure about going tomorrow?"

He nodded without hesitation, the food bringing back some of his strength. "I have to find that thing, Astrid." He said with finality, "Not only is it a threat to the village, it's a threat to you, and Olga."

"Then at least take Thuggory with you?" She pleaded.

He shook his head this time, sighing, "Much as I hate to admit it, I need to be fast, and he'd just slow me down. We both know that, and it's why he didn't kick up a fuss."

She nodded in understanding, seeing the logical side of the argument, and leaned into to wrap her arms around his shoulders from behind, her head resting against the nape of his neck. "Just be careful, then." She said, sighing against his back, "You may not want anything to happen to us, but we don't want anything to happen to you, either."

"If I find it, I'll keep my distance," he said, "Where are Toothless and Stormfly?"

Astrid giggled, "Outside sleeping on the upper patio." She said, "I think she's finally starting to warm up to Toothless."

"Good," he smiled, "That's good."

Her grip tightened around his shoulders, "Hiccup? About Olga."

"What about her?" He asked, smiling over his shoulder at her.

"I wanna adopt her," she said, sighing, "I know we haven't married, yet, and there's still a long wait for the - "

Hiccup laughed quietly, reaching around to bring the woman into his lap, "Why do we have to wait?" He asked, "We'll marry before we even think of going after the Nest again, and Olga will be our daughter."

"And Toothless and Stormfly can be her guardians," Astrid giggled, laying a kiss against his soot stained cheek, "I love you, Mutton-head."

"And I you, M'lady." He leaned his forehead against hers, before leaning back again, "I should go wash up. I must smell like a smelter."

Astrid cuddled up to him, laying her head against his shoulder, "I like it. It's the scent you've always had around you. Fire and ashes."

Hiccup snorted, "Well, I'm not crawling into bed like this, I hope you know."

 **.**

After cleaning up, Hiccup went up and kissed Olga goodnight before turning in himself. When dawn came, he was already awake, and so was Astrid. The day ahead of them would be a trying one.

Astrid helped him into his armor, strapping his two swords, dagger, and quiver to him. He slung his bow onto his back, looking like a proper huntsmen. The couple then set about saddling up Toothless, who seemed to catch onto the somber mood of his two human friends. Stormfly was more concerned about Astrid than she was over Hiccup, but she could sense that he was the reason for her sour mood.

As soon as Toothless was ready, Hiccup swung up into the saddle.

Astrid handed him a small bundle, and put it into his saddlebags. "I packed a loaf of bread, and a wedge of goat cheese for you, and there's some smoked boar meat in there, too, so - "

He leaned down from the saddle and kissed the top of her head, "Astrid," he breathed out, "I'll be fine. I promise."

Astrid nodded slowly as she backed away, giving Toothless enough room to spread his wings and lift off from the ground. She kept her eyes on him until he was far out of sight, Stormfly giving off a soft croon of worry for her friend. Astrid sighed, reaching down to pet the younger Night Fury. "It's okay, girl. I'm just worried, that's all." She smiled, turning on her heel to head back into their home, "Come on, I'll get you some breakfast."

Stormfly gave a happy chirp and followed her inside.

Astrid treated her to some smoked salmon before heading up the stairs to check on Olga, the little girl still fast asleep, clutching the rag doll that Hiccup had given her. The Shield Maiden smiled and stroked her head, "Olga, sweetie, it's time to get up."

The little girl mumbled something, and rubbed her eyes, "I'm still sleepy, Mama."

Astrid nearly choked, but managed to stay calm, "Okay, sweetie, you can sleep just a little longer." She smiled, and laid out beside her. "My little Valkyrie."

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Stoick was glaring down at the tooth of the Red Death Hiccup had brought back. The first chance he had taken to really look at it after the attack by Olaf and his tribe. It was easily taller than he was, as was the claw. The scale could easily be used as a shield if he so wanted it.

"They won't go 'way with yer staring at them ye know, Stoick?"

Stoick looked up and saw Gobber entering the room, and sighed, "Aye, I know, Gob, but now that I actually see this thing's armor and weapons...ah," he sighed, running his hand down his face and beard. "I doona know anymore, Gobber," he frowned, "All o' this time I've spent searching fer the Nest, and hoping to force the dragons to find a new home has gone tae seed." He said, looking at his friend, "And now I keep thinkin' about Valka...about the night she was taken..."

Gobber looked saddened, "Stoick, ye should'nae think o' such things." He shook his head, "Thinkin' about what happened to her will no' help anyone now."

Stoick nodded, "Astrid felt the same way when she thought her parents might've been eaten by that thing we saw." He shook his head, frowning. "And now I cannae get those same thoughts outta my head."

"Stoick," Alvin said as he came in, look guilty, and sad as well, "The dead do not suffer the living," he shook his head, "And the living should never envy the dead."

Stoick nodded, "I doona envy them," he sighed, "I just wish I knew then what I know now."

"Aye, we understand that," Alvin said, looking out the window toward the Hofferson home, "T'is the same with me when I think of Ulric, and Elis." He sighed, "The night I lost them, I lost so much that I never knew I had." He smiled, "They made me their daughter's godfather, and what do I do? I lead them tae their deaths at the hands of a Lava-lout raid. T'is only blind luck that Astrid thinks it was a dragon raid that killed them, else she may have gone after the tribe on their home turf."

"She's no fool, Al," Gobber put in, nodding, "But the girl does have a temper."

"Speaking of, should ye no' be goin' up to her home tae keep watch?" Stoick asked.

Alvin nodded, "I'll keep to the forest around the area," he said, moving out of the house, "Gotta protect me greatest treasure, now, don't I?"

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Hiccup frowned as he and Toothless flew over the island, searching for any sign of the cave bear, or where it might have gone. But massive predator was nowhere to be seen. By human or dragon eyes.

"Where does something that big hide?" Hiccup wondered, sounding frustrated. Toothless warbled, looking at the young rider with concern, "You think you could find him, bud?"

Toothless gave a gummy grin, and dipped down toward the water. They neared the beach that Hiccup normally picked up his metals from, and he noticed that there seemed to be large holes along the beach. Old footprints that were yet to be washed away by the waves.

Landing, Hiccup jumped down, his bow drawn, and examined the tracks. "The sand's not even dry," he frowned, the waves having just begun to wash the prints away, "Whatever made these was just here...but which way...?"

Toothless let out a growl and a hiss, his eyes narrowing to slits. Hiccup was already on edge at being on the ground when the large predator had seemingly just passed through the area, but hearing the warning from his friend set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. He had an arrow on the bowstring before he knew it, and was at full draw by the time he heard the huffing breath of the animal he was hunting.

The sound of a bear breathing was easily recognizable, nothing could sound like that, not even a winded dragon.

Looking to Toothless, he saw that the dragon was keeping his eyes trained on the treeline, looking all around the shrubbery. Hiccup saw a bush move, and loosed an arrow toward it. The arrow whistled through the air, and sliced through the bushes, landing with a meaty smack; he had hit something.

A roar shook the air, so loud Hiccup felt his ears begin to ring.

In the bushes, he saw a large, humped back off into the woods. The bear!

"Come on, Toothless," he yelled, jumping back into the saddle, "We can't let it get away!"

Toothless roared, and tore after the beast on foot, proving just as nimble on the ground as he was in the sky.

Ahead of them, the cave bear crashed and thundered through the forest, giving small glimpses of the animal to the hunting pair. It was massive, far bigger than the Night Fury pursuing it, and covered in dark fur. The arrow Hiccup had shot was lodged deep in the creature's humped back.

Steadying himself in the saddle, Hiccup readied another arrow, and took careful aim. "Gimme a shot, bud!"

Toothless lept above the beast, gliding steadily for a few feet as Hiccup took his shot. The arrow struck behind the left shoulder, causing the bear to stumble, and roll, but it didn't stay down. Toothless circled around the bear, and let loose a plasma blast, his shot missing and hitting a tree, toppling it over.

The bear kept charge away from them.

"Dammit!" Hiccup growled, looking down at Toothless, "We need to get ahead of it!"

Toothless understood, and shot up into the air, angling himself to keep the bear in sight while he gained some altitude.

Flying over the trees gave the Night Fury enough speed to overtake the bear and get ahead of it. Whizzing down into its path, Hiccup soon found himself face to face with the monster. The bear, rearing back on its hind legs, stood well over eighteen feet tall. The short muzzle was foaming with rage and hunger as it roared at the dragon and human in its path.

Toothless roared out a challenge of his own, his tail lashing the ground, and his wings flared. Hiccup loosed another arrow, aimed directly at the bear's heart, and crowed when the arrow struck home, the bear tumbling back from the hit.

Toothless lept into the fray, nearly throwing Hiccup from the saddle as he landed on the bear, his jaws snapping. The bear roared furiously, swatting at the dragon with its claws. One of which sliced through the straps holding the saddle in place, sending Hiccup to the ground.

Toothless saw this, taking his eyes off the bear for a single moment, and was promptly thrown off with a swipe of its paw. Hiccup untangled himself from the saddle and drew his long sword as the bear got back to its feet.

The monster growled at him, and charged. Hiccup ran forward and rolled to the side with his sword coming up, slicing into the beast's right foreleg. Blood seeped into the fur as the beast halted its charge, glaring angrily at the human before it was bowled over by an angry Night Fury. Toothless was furious by now, and snapping his powerful jaws down on the cave bear's thick neck, gave ruthless shake of his head, dragging the animal away from his rider.

The bear reared back up, lifting the dragon off the ground as he beat at it with his wings. Hiccup surged forward as the bear clawed at his friend, and plunged his sword deep into the animal's back. The bear yowled. Toothless clamped his teeth around its throat, and Hiccup drove his blade in deeper. Giving a sharp twist of his head, Toothless and Hiccup were treated to a loud, grinding crack.

The bear went limp.

It fell to the ground, dislodging Hiccup from its back, and nearly falling on Toothless.

Hiccup sat on the ground, panting as he scrambled back from the bear, thinking it may still attack much the same way Toothless lept away from the beast with his hackles raised. A few moments of waiting and growling, on Toothless' part, it became clear...that they had won.

Laughing, Hiccup fell flat on his back, exhausted. "We...we did it!" He laughed as Toothless roared happily, "We actually did it!"

Toothless, happy to have won the fight with his friend, went over and started licking Hiccup all over the face.

"Gah, Toothless, you know that doesn't wash out!"

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 _ **Glad to finally have another chapter for this story. But the danger isn't over yet!**_

 _ **Please review if you liked the chapter!**_


	13. Special Chapter

_**The World of How To Train Your Dragon**_

 _ **By**_

 _ **Ryoshi Morino**_

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Rim of the Sky: A mythical land comprising of a massive continent of mountains, and tundra plains. It is from this land that both humans and dragons were to be born from. It is supposedly surrounded by gigantic walls of ice that show no sign of melting, even during the warmer months of the year. Signs that one is close to this legendary land suggest that a massive bank of fog that reaches all the way into the clouds will appear, cloaking the ice-walls from sight, and providing a near impassable barrier for any would-be explorer.

Should someone make it passed the wall of fog, they would then have the walls of ice to deal with. There are very few entrances to be found in these massive walls, but they are not impregnable.

Legends also say that once the walls of ice are passed, the land is within sight, but is guarded by gigantic dragons, and is home to gigantic beasts rumored to have survived from the dawn of time.

If one is to make a home in this mythical land, then he or she will need to be on their toes every second of their lives.

Thunder Island: Thunder Island was once known to host herds and herds of massive beasts such as bison, elk, and auroch. Large dragons, such as Nightmares, Scaldrons, and Thunderclaws have been known to frequent the island when hunting, making the island dangerous for multiple reasons. The herd animals, though herbivores, were gigantic compared to domestic animals such as yak, and sheep, and highly aggressive towards any threats given that their natural predators such as dire wolves, sabre cats, bears, and dragons were relentless in hunting them.

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Sabre Cat: A large saber-toothed cat as large as an ox. This carnivore was believe to be extincted until it was rediscovered by the heirs of the Hooligan and Meathead tribes, Hiccup and Thuggory. The Sabre Cat encountered was completely unafraid of the heirs' dragons, and even attacked Thuggory's Thunderclaw, Bonesnarl. If not for the combined efforts of both humans and dragons, the Sabre Cat would have made a meal out of Bonesnarl, leaving only a claw-mark scar across his face.

As noted by Hiccup, these colossal predators seemed to not care how big their prey was, and readily attacked at the slightest opportunity. Dens discovered by later explorers were shown to be littered with all manner of bone; man, beast and dragon alike.

Dire Wolf: While exploring, Rider Fishlegs Ingerman spotted what he thought to be a tiger running through the forest, and went to investigate. Upon getting closer, he discovered that it was not a tiger, but a very large, very unusual species of Dire Wolf. The Dire Wolf was native to the Viking Archipelago for two hundred years, but was systematically wiped out due to the fact that they were larger than normal wolves and readily attacked settlements for livestock, and even a few Vikings that got in their way.

The species discovered by Fishlegs was unusual in coloration in that normal wolves in general were dark in color, but this new breed was orange with black stripes across its body not unlike a tiger.

Great Elk: The Great Elk was discovered by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III while out hunting with his dragon partner. The Great Elk would stand about twelve to fourteen feet tall, the bulls sporting massive, broad antlers used in defending their herds against threats, usually the Dire Wolf, Sabre Cat, and the multitude of dragon species.

Auroch: Widely known in the Viking community as the ultimate challenge to hunt, the Auroch was one of two massive bovines that inhabited the archipelago alongside the Giant Bison. The largest of the species stood at just above five feet at the shoulder, and were highly aggressive, even known to attack dragons that were far larger than themselves to defend a herd, or their territory.

Giant Bison: Known to be larger, yet less aggressive as its cousin, the Giant Bison, or Thunder Beast, was a monstrous buffalo that many Vikings feared. Not for their size or their massive wide horns, but their numbers. If one of the beasts spooked, then the entire herd would be on the move within seconds, charging blindly toward whatever spooked them, and should the unfortunate being that did so not be out of the way, then they would be pounded into the ground by the many hundreds of hooves that the herd possessed.

Mammoth: Rumored to dwell in the Rim of the Sky, the Mammoth was supposedly a gargantuan beast with four tusks hanging from their jaws, and a large snout called a trunk extending all the way to the ground at an impressive twelve feet. The beasts themselves are reported to be generally docile, and tamable for farm animals, but having never been seen, these creatures are yet to be proven real, save for within Norbert the Nutjob's picture books.

Rhino: Like the Mammoth, the Rhino were large, horned beasts that were rumored to inhabit the Rim of the Sky, and were fiercely territorial when something or someone approached their herds. The Rhino were rumored to be just as woolly as the Mammoth, and broke off into two separate breeds according to brooks and scrolls left over from before the Dragon War. One such breed was said to have a single horn grown out into the shape of a "Y", and highly more aggressive than the darker counterpart.

Cave Bear: The largest, and most dangerous of the many species of bear running around the archipelago, the Cave bear is a massive mammal that doesn't care where its next meal comes from, whether it steals it from a nest of dragon eggs, or takes down an unfortunate man or beast that crosses its path. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was celebrated for his killing of one such beast alongside his dragon partner.

Boar: Large, nasty, and dangerous. While not as large as the Dire Wolf, these tusked menaces travel in large packs, and are capable of swimming across open waters from island to island, making it easy for them to populate other islands, and increase their numbers. When nesting, dragons will often have these monstrous pigs to contend with when protecting their eggs along with the Cave Bear, but if the beasts aren't careful, they themselves will become the meal instead of the eggs.

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As the author of this story, and bringing two massive worlds together, I thought to add in a few extra species since the series barely showed anything outside of the various dragon species aside from boars, wolves, and...chickens...SO! I had to wonder what some of them would eat if they could get fish, and considering Nadders have a love of chicken, why wouldn't other dragons have a taste for other types of...flesh, (in some countries, fish isn't considered meat) and I thought to add in some ice age-type beasts that also appeared in Skyrim, such as the Mammoth, and Cave Bear, Boars if you've played the Dragonborn expansion.

Seriously, the HTTYD series didn't even show whales! Dragons only!

Also, BIG QUESTION! Seeing as Skyrim is in this story, do you guys want to see Skyrim magic (Healing, Fire, Ice, Lighting, possibly Dragon Shouts) in this story?

Drop a REVIEW to answer the QUESTION, because this is big for me, and could seriously shake the story up in later chapters.


	14. Chapter 13

_**AN:**_ _Brief update with the BIG question of Magic in the story, a lot of people were saying to turn it down, but just as many were saying to go for it as long as I had a plausible way to bring it into the equation. Thinking about that, I found a way to do it, but even then, Magic wouldn't come in until after the defeat of the Red Death, and close to the HTTYD - 2 story line. Still, you guys gave me a lot to think about, but I think I can make it happen, but you're thoughts and feelings on the whole thing still matter to me. So keep thinking, and reading._

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 ** _13: Silverfang pt.2_**

 ** _Where The Brave Shall Live Forever_**

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Alvin was doing a short round about the village, the day beginning to wane as dusk settled in, and there was still no sign of Hiccup, or his dragon. "C'mon, lad, where are ye?" He wondered, passing the Hofferson home, hearing peals of laughter and giggles from within. Astrid and the wee lass were having a night with Camicazi and Heather. There was another girl that came a'callin' but Alvin couldn't quite place her name, she and her brother looked ducedly alike.

With Hiccup still out of the village on the hunt, Alvin had kept his word about looking after the young woman he held dear, as well as keeping watch for the cave bear. He worried for the lad just as much as he worried for Astrid. A cave bear was a lot to take on, even with the aid of a dragon. None of his men remembered a time when hunting on wasn't considered suicide.

But still, the Mythril spear in hand, he felt himself more ready to face such a foe.

Looking over the craftmanship of the weapon, Alvin could easily tell that the spear was a masterpiece, the blade beautifully carved with Nordic runes of protection, and the shaft made of hardened oak, and reinforced by rings of the very same precious metal that made up the head. Astrid's betrothed was a master blacksmith.

Now, with the sheep all locked up in one of the large barns, and the men and women of the Hooligan and visiting tribes armed to the teeth against the threat, the trap was set to go off like a batch of Zippleback gas.

Alvin, however, hoped that the beast was either long gone, or long dead by Hiccup and Toothless' hands...

A twig snapped off to his left, causing the Outcast to raise his spear, a snarl on his face as he caught sight of a massive shadow passing through the tree. A large humped back with black and brown fur. The loud chuffing breathes of the beast he knew very well.

Gripping his spear as the bear raised its head toward him, the man gave a short prayer to Ullr as the bear growled. "Come on, ye devil. I haven't got all night," the bear snarled in response, rising to its hind legs, towering over the Viking a good fifteen feet.

Let it never be said that Alvin the Treacherous was a coward. He had braved the likes of dragons and Vikings alike that would have sent even the strongest of men running for the hills. Yet looking into the monstrous yellow eyes of the beast before him, Alvin felt his legs begin to tremble.

"COME ON THEN!" With a roar of fury, the chief rushed forward. The bear dropped to the ground, and charged.

Alvin's war cry was enough to rouse the village below the hillside. The roar of the bear alerted the dragons guarding their humans.

Inside her home, Astrid, Ruffnut, Heather, Camicazi, and Olga were laughing as they played a game of Tafl when Stormfly's ears twitched and the young Fury raised her head. Astrid noticed this as she heard a muffled roar from outside. "What's going on?"

Before anyone could reply, Stormfly lept to her feet, a snarl on her face as she slinked toward the door like a stalking cat, her back arched, and her tail swishing furiously. Astrid was shocked by the behavior until she heard another, bestial roar that she recognized, her face going pale. She turned and took Olga from her chair and handed her to Ruffnut, "Take her up the stairs, and get ready to go out onto the balcony!"

Ruffnut didn't question her as she had heard the very same roar, "Don't go doing anything stupid, Sister!"

"I heard a man's voice," Cami said, drawing her short sword while Heather pulled a pair of war axes from her hips.

Stormfly continued to hiss and snarl before she scuttled away from the door just before it was barged through. The large body of Alvin was thrown into the Hofferson home, his form clawed and bloodied up beyond belief, but alive. Astrid rushed to his side, seeing horrible claw marks all over him.

"ASTRID LOOK OUT!" Ruffnut called out from the stairs as a monstrous shadow passed over her. She looked up and grew cold as she saw the monster in front of her.

Alvin struggled against her, and shoved her away, "Run, ye stupid girl!"

"Cami, help me drag him!" Astrid screamed as the two tried to get the man away from the beast trying to force its way through her front door.

"NAY! Leave me! Leave me and get away!" Alvin hollered, struggling as Heather joined in the effort. Stormfly gave a challenging shriek and flew forward over their heads, slamming into the massive bear, and started clawing and biting anything she could reach without getting caught by its jaws. The bear yowled and shook its head trying to dislodge the furious dragon, but she held fast and bit down on the sensitive ears.

The bear roared and flung its head into the ceiling, slamming the poor dragon against the oaken beams, and knocking her off. It reached for her as she fell to the floor, stunned by the impact, ready to shed the young Night Fury.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Astrid roared, rushing in to help her friend, her axe raised, and brought the broad black blade down on the bear's head, the blade skating across the thick skull and scalp, taking off the right ear. Blood splattered the floor as the bear took a step back away from the angered Viking, giving her enough time to shoo Stormfly away from the fight before it charged back into the house, its shoulders getting caught in the door frame, and the wood giving way.

"Up the stairs and out the onto the balcony!" Astrid snapped as she helped Heather and Cami get Alvin up the stairs, Stormfly hot on her heels.

With a mighty crash, the door frame gave way as the cave bear forced its way into the home, furious. Stormfly whimpered and headbutted Astrid up the last few steps as the bear crashed into the stairs, collapsing them, the young dragon taking flight up onto the second floor just in time, and letting loose a blast of flames from her jaws as the bear reared.

"Stormfly!" Astrid called out as she and her friends bailed out the door, and the dragon followed behind her quickly as the bear came for them again. Its long arms reached for them as they ran out onto the balcony, raking the wooden planks deeply. Stormfly hissed and blasted it again right in the face. The bear yowled in pain as the humans descended to the ground. The bear withdrew into the house. The young dragon looked in after it and saw it heading to the front door to head the humans off, and flew around to the door herself, charging up a more powerful plasma blast.

As Astrid and the other passed, the bear came charging out of the house, and Stormfly let loose with her attack, destroying the entryway, and bringing it crashing down on top of the bear.

"Good girl!" Astrid smiled at her dragon proudly, but yelped when the rubble began to shift, signifying that the bear was still alive.

"That won't hold it fer long, lassies," Alvin groaned, seeing torches coming toward them from the village. "We need to get the others' help in dealing with this monster!"

"We'll never make - " Tuffnut began when a titanic roar shook the air as the bear freed itself. She set Olga down, "Run, sweetie! Run and don't look back!"

"But Mommy -!"

"Go!" Astrid commanded, hefting her axe once more for the fight of a lifetime as the bear crawled out of the wreckage. "Stormfly, take her!"

The dragon warbled, looking from the girl to the child before dipping down to snag the back of the little girl's dress and take off down the hill, the child screaming the entire way.

The bear snarled at the four women and injured man, rising to full height once more and roared...only to be answered by another roar. Startled, the small group of humans looked behind them as the massive form of the Titan Wing Nightmare came barreling at them, murder apparent in his remaining eye.

Forgetting about the humans, the bear flung itself at the dragon as the two slammed into each other in a tangle of snapping jaws and blade-sharp claws. Being the larger animal, the Nightmare easily pushed the bear back for a moment, but lost ground when the beast dug into the ground with its hind legs, the claws leaving trenches.

In a ranged fight, a dragon was the superior fighter, but in a close ranged battle such as this with trees and homes all around, the bear had the clear advantage as seen when the beast all but threw the Titan Wing to the ground, ready to crush him under his front paws.

"BERSERK!" Dagur roared as he flew into the battle with mad abandon, his sword stabbing deeply into the bear as he lept onto its back. The bear snapped and swatted at him, trying to dislodge the human as the dragon regained his footing, and snapped at its feet, yanking them out from under it. Dagur jumped clear as the bear fell, and Stormfly flew back into the fight, going for the bear's throat, and was batted away as her teeth clamped down. The Titan Wing snarled as the young dragon was thrown across the clearing and lept back into the air, his teeth gleaming as he crashed down onto the monster.

"Why isn't he flaming?!" Alvin growled as they watched the fight.

"He can't!" Oswald said as he hobbled next to his daughter, "He's too old!"

Thuggory came running into the fray with his sword raised and Bonesnarl loping beside him. The bear rolled, throwing the Nightmare off, and was beset upon by the duo, Bonesnarl ploughing right into the beast, knocking it over as Thuggory slashed at its middle. The bear turned on the human and swiped at him with its claws raking across his chest. Thuggory went flying with a scream as Bertha stepped into his path to catch him.

Dagur roared, his mouth foaming, and his eyes glazed over as the mad rage of his tribe took him over, rushed back into the fight. The bear saw him coming and charged.

"SON!" Oswald yelled.

"DAD, NO!" Heather shouted too late as the man rushed to intervene.

He rammed his shoulder into his enraged son, and pushed him out of the way as the bear's jaws clamped down on him. Stoick roared in fury at the sight of his friend in the jaws of the bear, and lunged in. The Nightmare howled in rage and snapped his neck out like a serpent, his jaws snapping around the bear's neck. The former Berserker chief dropped into the Hooligan chief's arms as the bear was hauled way from both, bleeding from the bite around his ribs.

The two titans were locked in a death grip; the Titan Wing's jaws locked tightly around the bear's neck, twisting this way and that as the bear struggled, raking the dragons body with its claws.

But the dragon was old, and already worn down.

The bear shoved him, its claws raking across the base of his neck. The Nightmare roared, and gargled as blood spilled down his hide like a flood, and fell to the ground.

"No!" Astrid breathed out as the bear readied to crush the poor dragon's head under its paws. Stormfly had other ideas, however, and blasted the bear right in the chest with her plasma blast as Bonesnarl joined in the fight with his green flames.

Suddenly, another dragon roared into the fight as the younger Nightmare appeared from above, and crashed down onto the bear, his body igniting as he breathed liquid fire onto the beast.

Roaring in pain, the bear thrashed to dislodge the dragon as its fur ignited, but the younger dragon had a firm hold on it, and refused to let go. The two flaming beasts dropped to the ground. The bear stopped its struggles.

The clearing was quiet as the dragon let its flames die down. It then looked over to the fallen elder, and crawled over to him. The Titan Wing was still. He wouldn't move even when the younger dragon nudged him.

Meanwhile, Dagur was coming back to himself as the battle-high left him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, staggering back to his feet. "Wh-what happened?" He asked aloud, looking around himself, "D-did we get the b..." He stopped cold when his eyes landed on his sister, who was holding the prone form of their father, bleeding heavily from a devastatingly large wound on his left side. "Dad?...How did...why did..." His body began to tremble, "D-DAD!" He rushed forward, dropping to his knees as he came upon them, "Please, Hel, not now!" He looked to his sister, "Please...please tell me this wasn't me?!"

Heather looked at him, her eyes streaming with tears, and shook her head. "No...no, you didn't do this, Dagur...but Dad pushed you out of the way when the rage took you over, and the bear was about to get you."

Dagur fell back on his rear, looking distraught. "This...this _was_ my fault...if I hadn't..."

"Son." Both siblings looked to see Oswald awake, and smiling at his son, shaking his head, "This...was not your fault." He said, "T'is a father's duty to...protect his children..."

"But if I hadn't -!"

Oswald shook his head once more, "No one can blame you," he smiled, "the battle rage has long been a plague within our tribe, but we were still proud warriors...and that is why...I am happy to die...a warrior's death..." He looked over toward the downed dragon, and the youngster still trying to rouse him. "Silverfang would understand."

"Silverfang?" Heather asked, looking over at the beast, "You named him?"

Oswald nodded, his breathing becoming ragged. "T'would be a shame to let him...go...without..." His breathing slowed, and his eyes dulled.

Heather reached up and closed his eyes as Dagur sobbed uncontrollably. Across the clearing, the young Nightmare gave out a mournful keen at his friend's passing that was joined by Stormfly, and Bonesnarl.

In the distance, Astrid thought she heard a fourth voice added to the dragon's mournful howls, wondering briefly if Toothless was able to hear them. It gave her hope that Hiccup was still alright out in the wilds.

"Mommy!"

Astrid whipped around, dropping her axe as Olga launched herself into her arms, sobbing loudly, the blonde woman doing her best to soothe her. Ruffnut knelt beside her, circling both of them in her arms, happy that her sister and niece were alright.

Snotlout had joined them shortly later, sporting a small gash on his brow where he had been hit by the the gate of the arena when he had let the two Nightmare's loose. The scene that he came upon would be something he would remember for some time to come. A dead dragon, and a dead chieftain as well as the corpse of a partially cremated cave bear.

"We should make ready to send him off." Stoick announced, placing his hand on the young Berserker chief's shoulder, "It would be what he wanted."

Dagur silently agreed as Heather laid her father down, and helped her brother to his feet. "We build a funeral pyre for our fallen back home." The girl said, her voice cracking with sadness.

Stoick nodded, "We can arrange that, m'dear, now go on. Up to yer lodgings. I'll take care o' things here." He turned to the Bog Burglar chieftess, "Bertha, can ye see to Thuggory, and Alvin's injuries?"

"Aye, that I can," she said, supporting the young Meathead chief with her shoulder while Cami helped Alvin as they started hobbling toward Gothi's.

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The moment Toothless had started howling, Hiccup had been on the razor's edge.

After the bear had been killed, he and Toothless had made camp so he could skin, and dress the bear. The meat, since there were many more people in the village, would go a long way in feeding them, and the pelt would be a great trophy to his house.

But as he and Toothless had settled in for the night, Toothless had heard something, and started howling low, and sadly as if something horrible had happened. Foregoing a night's rest, Hiccup and Toothless broke camp, and flew back to the village.

It was dawn by the time the returned, and the village was already moving around.

From where he sat above the village, he could see that they were building a pyre, and easily recognized the corpse of another, larger bear. "Astrid," he breathed out, steering Toothless toward the Hofferson home.

His heart clenched as he saw the ruins of the front of the house, and bolted inside. "ASTRID!"

The house was wrecked inside and out, deserted, and the floor was covered in blood stains, and scorch marks. Toothless crawled through the rubble, crooning worriedly as the young man sank to his knees. "Gods, please, no..."

"Hiccup?" Ruffnut called out as she picked her way through the front of the house, "I thought I saw you flying over." She said, seeing the large bear pelt tied to Toothless' saddle. "Whoa...there were two of them?"

"Astrid, and Olga?" Hiccup asked, hoping beyond hope that they were alright.

Ruffnut understood right away what he meant, and sighed, "They're both fine, Hiccup." She said, seeing a look of relief cross his face as she did, "The bear did a number on Alvin, and Thuggory, and the house took a beating, but Astrid, and Olga are doing just fine...Oswald and your dragon, though..."

Hiccup looked at her in shock, "Oswald...?" He frowned, realization dawning on his face, "The funeral pyre!"

"Yeah," she sighed, shaking her head, "Pushed Dagur out of the way from getting chomped by that bear, and got caught himself." She said, "Silverfang, that's what he named that Titan Wing you brought back, he fought with the bear, and nearly had it, but got his throat clawed out. If that other one hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened."

Hiccup nodded sadly, absently patting Toothless, "That must be why Toothless was howling last night." He reasoned, "He heard the others doing it, too...How's Dagur?"

"Gothi had to put him out of it last night," she sighed, "Can't blame him. He just lost his dad."

Hiccup sighed, rising to his feet tiredly, "I should've been here."

"Don't you start that self-pity shit that Astrid had going on for a while," Ruffnut said, frowning at him, "Your dad sent you out after the bear, yeah, but none of us knew that there were two of them." She said, "You got one of them on your own, and that big bastard out there took out a Titan Wing, and a good man, but no one else died...scratched up, and bloodied, but not dead." She came forward and knocked him in the shoulder, "Come on, Stoick'll wanna know that you made it back."

"I should see Dagur," Hiccup said sadly.

"He, Heather, Astrid and Olga are all up at your dad's," she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

Hiccup nodded and the pair made their way out of the ruined house.

 **.**

"DADDY!"

Hiccup was knocked clean off of his feet as Olga bowled into him, and the young man was too stunned to do anything more than clutch the little girl to his chest out of sheer joy. Astrid was next to join in the reunion as she rushed in and hugged the young man.

"You idiot," she sniffled, "Where were you?!"

"I'm sorry," was all he said as he held onto his family tightly, almost fearing that they would disappear. Toothless warbled and cooed over the two females, licking both of their faces, and causing them to giggle. Stormfly squawked and crooned at them as she ambled into the room, bandages covering her torso.

"HICCUP!" Stoick roared upon seeing his son.

"Dad!" Hiccup smiled at him as the man clouted him on the shoulders, "I'm so, so sorry I wasn't here!" He said, "I found a cave bear, but I didn't think - "

"Another?" Stoick growled.

Hiccup went on to explain the details of his hunting of the cave bear, and the howling they had heard from the dragons. After which, Stoick and Astrid went on to explain what had happened while he had been hunting the other bear.

The loss of Oswald was a devastating blow to the Berserker tribe, especially to his children. Dagur had had to be drugged into sleep by Gothi's potions, while Heather had exhausted herself crying. Meanwhile, Thuggory had a very bad claw mark across his chest from the fight, while Alvin was covered in them. Neither one of them were in any danger of losing their lives to their wounds.

It was a shock to learn that Silverfang had died fighting the bear, yet, Hiccup knew that the dragon was far older than any human could ever hope to live. Too old to produce the flammable gel that ignited his flaming breath and hide. Too slow to keep up with a beast such as the cave bear, despite his size, and mobility.

The old dragon had died a death worthy of Valhalla.

 **.**

Later that day, Dagur awoke, sick with sadness, but happy to see his Blood Brother when the young man came to his side as they prepared to send Oswald and Silverfang off. At the Berserker elder's feet was the slain cave bear, as well as the pelt brought back by Hiccup as a tribute to the gods. Surprisingly, the young Nightmare, now named Hookfang by Snotlout, stood alongside them.

Dagur held the torch to set the pyre ablaze, but hesitated. Hiccup placed his hand on the older teen's shoulder, gripping it tightly. The two shared a look, and nodded to each other as Dagur lit the pyre.

Hookfang took the point, and breathed out a slow blaze unto his fallen brethren, the skin igniting at once. The blaze turned as blue as the old one's skin, almost as bright as the evening star.

Dagur took a step back next to his sister. "I...used to think that...that nothing could beat you, Dad," he said, watching the twin blazes rise higher. "You were always so strong, even though you didn't have our tribe's madness, you fought for us day in and day out when the dragons were our enemies." He said, looking to his sister, "Without you, all we have is each other." He said, placing his arm around her shoulders, "I'm not a wise man, nor am I a good leader, and I can't lean on my sister forever...tell, please, just one last time...who should we turn to? Where do we look to for guidance?"

The fire burned brightly. The two flames twisting and turning into each other. The heat intensified, washing over them like a tidal wave. Hookfang raised his wing to defend them, but the light of the fire shone so brightly that even the mighty dragon was blinded.

" _Look to the stars, my son,_ " Oswald's voice spoke over the roaring flames, " _Look to the stars._ "

* * *

(*)

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ _This chapter was a little iffy for my tastes for a lot of reasons, the key points being the death of Oswald, and the Titan Wing Nightmare, Silverfang, who will be missed throughout the story, young as his character was. Oswald, to me, in this story was more of an anchor to Dagur to keep him from going totally berserk, but an old, rusty anchor that was bound to break its chain at one point or another. The Titan Wing, sadly to say, was always going to be a sacrificial character. He was old, battle-worn, and already ill from being starved by his lack of teeth. The fight against the cave bear just gave the poor old brute a chance to go out like a warrior, so to speak._

 _Now, here at the end, we do see just a tiny speck of magic, and yes, that line was from Dragonheart, so sue me, I loved that movie._

 _Please review this chapter to let me know your thoughts on it._


	15. Chapter 14

AN: _Many thanks to all that reviewed!_

* * *

 ** _14: Thunder Island_**

 ** _Clan Hunt_**

* * *

In the seven days following the funeral of Oswald the Agreeable, Dagur had busied himself in the forge helping Gobber and Hiccup with the weapons, and pressing Berkian silver. The young Berserker was doing his level best to keep himself calm during those days, but things were beginning to look grimmer by the day.

With four tribes on such a small island, Berk's storehouses were running dangerously low on meat and vegetables. Mildew the Unpleasant had made a near fortune for himself in selling his cabbages, horrible as they smelled, and was more than willing to rub everyone's faces in it.

All of the meat from the whale hunt had nearly vanished, and it was unlikely that the great leviathans would appear en mass again until the spring warmth brought called forth more algae for the krill to feed on, which attracted the whales, and other predators.

Ack and Dogsbreath were out on the hunt every day to provide more meat for the tribe and visitors. Snotlout was busy as a tracker in his attempts to help hunt boar, and deer, but the young Viking was more bluster than skill. Thuggory, due to his injuries, was forbidden to fly with Bonesnarl, which neither dragon or rider was thrilled about.

In the rare moments that Hiccup wasn't repairing Astrid's home, he was in the air with Toothless and his bow at the ready in case he spotted a small herd himself.

But the simple fact of the matter was that winter had arrived.

Berk was now blanketed by a thick layer of snow. Toothless and Stormfly outright refused to leave the hearth on the best of days, considering that the cold was deadly to their breed. Dagur was almost the only one that had taken to the air. Which was a surprise to many.

In his grief for his father, he had found a companion in Hookfang, who was still upset over the death of his friend, and possible ancestor, Silverfang. When the young Berserker chief had come to Hiccup asking for a saddle to be made for the two of them, he had been more than shocked, but was happy to know that both had a shoulder to lean on in each other.

Astrid's saddle for Stormfly was completed right alongside Hookfang's, and the young Night Fury had accepted it without much of a fuss. Though she did tend to gnaw at the harnesses under her front legs.

Mildew had nearly started another riot over the dragons considering all four of them ate primarily fish, and the village's main food source was also fish. How were they to feed themselves when the dragons would out eat them by tons?

Thankfully they had answered that question themselves. Even though they disliked the cold greatly, Toothless, and Stormfly were seen alongside Hookfang and Bonesnarl in the bay, diving in and out of the water, and coming back up with mouthfuls of fish with each dive. Hookfang even shared his catches at times when he returned with a particularly large blue fin tuna, and presented it to Dagur and Heather, who were delighted with the generosity.

Still, the problem remained that with the coming of the first snow, all of the animals had moved off of the island of Berk and taken shelter elsewhere to find food.

And so it was with a heavy heart that Stoick asked his son to stop his work on the war machines to combat the Red Death, and start on the large whale bone ship that he had begun only a month earlier.

Hiccup and Gobber took to the task with fervor, buying juniper planks for the hull from the Thorston Clan, and salvaging dragon hide from the bone yard just outside of the village for the sail. It took them two weeks to do so, but when the work was finished, Stoick was proud of the ship in his harbor.

It was then that he called a meeting in the mead hall to discuss their food problems.

"We should go a'whalin', " Norbert sang out, " _Got a whale of tale to tell ye lads! A whale of a tale or two!_ " Bertha shut him up by throwing her empty mug at him.

"Now that that's over," the Bog cheiftess grumped. "What do ye suggest we do, Stoick?"

Stoick sighed, "I doona see any alternative," he said, pointing down at his map, "We need tae go tae T'under Isle," he frowned as many of the gathered people started whispering, "I know, t'is a risk, but we have verra little choice."

"Stoick, that's Lava Lout territory," Alvin reminded him, "If the tribe catches wind of us, then we might be finished. Ye know how they are."

"Aye, that we all do," Thuggory put in, nodding, "But I believe Stoick has the right idea; Thunder Island is out best bet. It's the biggest island in the entire archipelago, and no one goes there, so there ought to be plenty of game." He said, turning to his men, "Think on it; bison, auroch, elk, and boar a'plenty! We'd not lack for meat the rest of the year!"

"A hunt sounds like a good idea right now, Stoick," Gobber put in, "Lot'a the boys 'ave been gettin' a wee bit itchy, if ye know what I mean?"

Stoick nodded, "That I do, and I'm sorry tae say that it'll have tae be a small hunting party." He said, looking at his son, and Dagur, "Thuggory, my son, and Dagur will take a few able-bodied men to the island in that new ship that was built, and hunt as much game as they can. The dragons can provide extra protection, and may even be good as hunting hounds."

"Can I go, too?" Fishlegs asked, raising his hand, "I'd like to do my part for the village."

"Same here!" The twins shouted in unison.

"I'll go, too." Cami smiled happily.

Astrid stepped forward, smirking, "Now I have to go just to keep all of them in line." She said sarcastically, looking down at Olga, "And since I'm going, Olga'll have to go, too."

Hiccup grimaced, "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" He asked her, "The hunting trip aside, but we'll be in Lava Lout territory. What if they catch us?"

"Ye leave them tae me, laddie," Alvin stepped forward, "Ye'll need the added muscle, so ye can count on me."

Stoick nodded, "Aye, ye've proven yerself tae me, Alvin, in protecting Astrid and her wee lass." He said, "We'll load the ship with all that ye'll need for butchery, and tanning. The hides ye'll bring back will be useful in leather goods."

 **.**

Alvin was on deck of the "Bone Knapper", as christened by Gobber, smiling at the young folk as they moved about, and got things ready to be underway. They would take no food supplies, only living off of what water they could carry, and what the dragons could catch for them since food was getting scarce on the island.

"Alvin?" The man turned and found Hiccup standing beside him, holding a set of armor.

"Aye, lad? What are ye doin' with all that?"

He held the armor out to the former Outcast chief, "I never thanked you for protecting Astrid and Olga," he said, "Being a smith, this is all that I could think of to repay you."

Alvin understood, smiling, "Ah, lad, ye need not - "

"But I do," Hiccup said with a shake of his head, "Astrid and Olga, even if we are barely a family, mean the world to me. If I'd lost them to the bear, then I doubt I'd know what to do with myself."

Alvin nodded, and heft the shield that was set on top of the armor, "T'is light, much lighter than that plated Gronkle Iron ye made fer ye're da?"

"My finest work," the young man said, "I found that if I combined Mythril with the Gronkle Iron, and Ebony metal I made Astrid's armor and axe from then it turned this color, and became much stronger."

"And ye made it in the shape of a bear," Alvin remarked with a hint of amusement as he looked at the helmet and the shoulder pauldrons. "I thank ye, lad, and promise that I'll use it well...ye're a true mastersmith, young Hiccup, and ye'll make a fine chief when the time comes."

Hiccup blushed slightly, "Thank you, but I hope that time is long in coming."

Alvin chuckled and patted the boy on the shoulder, "Lad, in all honesty, ye are greater than yer da," he said, gaining a look of confusion from the younger man, "Look at what ye have done." He said, gesturing to the village, "Bringing the tribes together is no small feat, m'boy. And ye have showed us all that dragons can be tamed, and be fine companions. Whether in battle, or as simple friends. And ye are a master at the forge, somethin' yer da could never claim tae be." He smiled, "When I look at ye, lad, I doona see a simple chief, I see a _king_."

Hiccup blushed near the shade of his own hair, "I'm not sure I could handle being a chief, let alone a king."

"Bringing together three different metals to create this armor is one thing, yes," Alvin nodded as he set the armor down and started clasping it over his tunic. "But lad, ye have brought together not only six tribes of boar-headed vikings, but two separate species that 'ave been at war wit' t'other for more than three centuries, me lad." He chuckled as Hiccup helped him with the chest piece, "That is what a king does, laddie."

"My dad brought them all together," the boy argued.

"Ah, but t'was ye that united us all when ye brought that dragon o' yours tae show us that they could be more than the monsters we once thought them tae be." Alvin put in, "Ye see? Kings come in all shapes and sizes, but only a few o' them could do what ye 'ave done, lad." He pulled on the boots and gauntlets. "Well, lad, how does it look?"

"Good," Hiccup said, still a bit flustered from the man's claims, "Very viking-like."

"T'is fitting," he said, settling the bear-shaped helm over his head, "Now all will know that I be as monstrous as the bear I fought to protect yer wee lassies." He said, smiling fondly down at the deck as he watched Astrid and Ruffnut hauling a few crates onto the deck with little Olga trailing behind them.

Hiccup smiled as well, "I feel like they should stay here."

"A chief protects his own," Alvin agreed, "But a father protects his house. And a father's family is his house. Without those two Valkyries, ye would have nothing but a an empty shell of a home."

Hiccup looked at the man, "I noticed that you seem to care more for Astrid than most...almost like she was your daughter, or niece."

Alvin chuckled humorlessly, "I knew her family, lad," he sighed, deciding to confide in the boy, "Long ago, when she was just a tiny little thing, her parents and I were the closest of friends. They even went so far as to name me the little mite's godfather." Hiccup's eyes widened, "But, t'was not to be. When she was five, there was a raid on the village by the Lava Louts, and I led Arvak and Helga to the front lines...and I was the only one that came back..." He looked at the stunned Hiccup, "Ye see, lad, t'is me own fault what was done to the wee lass. I could'nae live with the guilt o' what I'd done...So I asked Stoick to make me Outcast, and made up some yak dung story about my being treacherous or some such...when it was because I was'nae brave enough to sit me goddaughter on me knee, and tell her that her family was gone because of me."

Hiccup looked hurt, and beyond stunned, "You never betrayed my father," he said, seeing the man hang his head, "You left us...because you felt shamed?"

"Shame is a powerful thing, lad," Alvin said, nodding, "From what I've heard, ye've used it to put Astrid's home back together, have ye not?"

Hiccup nodded, "I suppose you could say that," he said, admitting that he had done so, "But...when I found out what my own people had done, I couldn't just sit back and do nothing when someone I loved had suffered for so long, and said nothing out of fear."

"And I am grateful fer that, and fer ye loving her when she was left with nothing," Alvin said, "Not many men would think like ye would, lad. Astrid is a beauty, after all."

"But she's not a trophy," Hiccup pointed out, "And I would never treat her as such."

"That I can plainly see," Alvin smiled, patting the young man on the back, "Come, lad, let's be on our way. The hunt awaits."

* * *

(*)

* * *

Thunder Island was not like most islands in the archipelago. Nor was any island in Lava Lout waters. The waters around the island were warmed year round by undersea volcanoes, so the land itself was warmed, and gave rise to yearlong greenery, giving rise to large forests and plains. It was by far the largest island in the area, but vastly uninhabited by people given the large number of massive beasts that lived there.

As the Bone Knapper was beached along the shores of the island, it became apparent that their prey would be easy to find. The four dragons that had tagged along were already wary of something that Bonesnarl had sniffed out. It was a large paw print, not a bear, but nothing that either Thuggory or Snotlout had seen.

"A wolf?" Snotlout suggested, "I remember dire wolves were supposed to be pretty huge?"

Thuggory shook his head, "No, look at the toes," he said, using his finger to trace around the pads, "No claws. That's a cat print, if I have my father's teachings right."

Snotlout grimaced as he placed his whole hand inside the heel print, easily fitting it inside without disturbing the print. "That's one big cat."

Alvin frowned, "We'll need to post watches." He said to the crew, "Astrid, ye, Cami, and Ruffnut see about getting camp set up here on the beach." He said, turning to Hiccup and Fishlegs, "Lad, ye and Legs take that beastie o' yours, and do a scouting flight. See if there's any game nearby that we can sneak up on, or drive toward the camp."

"Thuggory, I want ye and Snotlout looking for spots to set up snares and foot traps," he said, "Whatever left those prints might still be in the area, and I doona want tae meet it."

"I'll help," Tuffnut volunteered, "Traps are my specialty!"

Olga looked up at the big viking, "What should I do?"

Alvin chuckled and patted the little girl on her head, "Ye just stay close to Stormfly, and Hookfang, lassie."

 **.**

"This island is amazing!" Fishlegs gushed as he and Hiccup flew over the land. The young man was equally thrilled about his first flight on the back of a dragon, a Night Fury no less!

Toothless was just happy to be over warm land. Night Furies, Hiccup discovered, couldn't stand long stints outside in the cold. While the snow covered the land back on Berk, Toothless and Stormfly took to sleeping in the arena, heating up the stone floors with their flames. Hookfang and Bonesnarl didn't seem to mind, however, and often were seen playing in the snow.

"Let's not get too comfortable, Fish," Hiccup said, looking back over his shoulder at the man, "We need to - "

"Look, Hiccup, down there!" Fishlegs shouted, and pointing down, nearly unsettling both of them from the saddle.

Grumbling about the unsettling, Toothless straightened his flight path as the two humans gazed down below. Hiccup frowned as he spotted...tigers? They certainly looked like the large striped cats that Johann had showed him pictures of from books, but...

"They're wolves," he noted as he guided Toothless lower to get a better look. There were four of them, and they were massive. Dire wolves! "I've never seen wolves like that!"

"It must be a new species!" Fishlegs gushed excitedly as child on Snoggletog would, "Oh, I can't wait to tell Heather when we get back!"

Hiccup chuckled as they followed the wolves into the treeline, and banked back toward the plains in search of their prey, hoping the rumors of the island's game being large enough to contend with dragons to be true. "Okay, bud, find us some meat." He said to his partner.

Toothless hissed and shot toward the plains. Hiccup immediately recognized hunting behavior from the dragon, and unslung his bow from his back, reaching for an arrow from the quiver attached to the saddle.

"Ugh, what's that smell?!" Fishlegs gagged, and Hiccup followed suit as he caught wind of an unbearable odor of mold, and...wet wool.

Toothless gave a sharp screech, and out of the shrubbery below them jumped a truly massive creature. "Is that an elk?!"

"Too big!" Fishlegs shouted as the dragon gave chase, "And look at those antlers! Those could gut a Nightmare!"

Hiccup could care less as he knocked his arrow and drew back, "Close in, bud!" He said, preparing to make his shot as the dragon dipped lower to the fleeing animal...before another large shape collided with the beast out of nowhere, and brought it down with a roar. "What the -!?" Hiccup and Toothless cried out as the animal struggled as the beast that had knocked it over sank foot long fangs deep into its neck, forcing it to cease its struggles.

"I've never seen anything like that!" Fishlegs shouted as the monster began to feed, disemboweling the large elk-like beast in a matter of seconds. Both young men were made sick by the sight, "Uh, Hiccup, maybe we should..."

"Go?" Hiccup nodded, "You're right. I don't wanna stick around here any long than we need." Toothless made an angry grumble beneath him, and the young heir patted the side of his neck, "It's okay, bud, there's gotta be more where that elk came from." The dragon moaned lowly, seemingly disappointed at the loss of their prey, but relented a moment later as he glided away from the kill sight.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before the Night Fury homed in on another, much larger prey. And it wasn't alone.

"Giant Bison!" Hiccup breathed out as they looked from above, "I've only heard stories about them from Dad!"

"Even one of these would feed a family for a year!" Fishlegs smiled as they scoped out the heard, and the Ingerman heir pointed, "Look, a white one!" He said, pointing out the oddly colored bison directly below them, "Their said to bring good fortune to those that hunt them!"

Hiccup smiled and urged Toothless lower, "Goose'em, bud!" Toothless gave out an elated roar, spooking the herd of bison into thundering across the plains. The white bison they were targeting was near the rear of the herd, a large bull if his eyes weren't deceiving him, making the beast an easy target for Hiccup's bow. Toothless zipped down and flew right alongside the animal as Hiccup took aim and loosed his arrow right behind the shoulder, and through the heart.

The bison gave out a low, surprised grunt as it bulldozed into the ground, and flipped end over end before coming to rest, dead. Hiccup gave a thrilled crow as he, Fishlegs and Toothless landed. The rest of the herd, not seeing their comrade go down, moved on in fear of the dragon, paying them no mind.

Which allowed the two human to marvel at their kill.

The bison was easily larger than a Thunderclaw, nearly dwarfing Bonesnarl in size and bulk. The horns, from tip to tip, were six feet apart, and sharp to the touch. Deadly weapons against any foe the beast could have faced.

Hiccup knelt, placing a hand on the bison, "May your spirit walk free, and know that your life was taken to give life to others." He said in prayer for the beast, Fishlegs giving a silent bow to the animal. Toothless crooned anxiously, his ears twitching this way and that, making the two humans realize that there were hungry predators nearby. "Come on, Legs, let's get him cut up and get back to camp. Alvin will want to know about the things we've seen, and everyone will be hungry."

Using his dagger and short sword, Hiccup and Fishlegs set to working butchering the bison, saving the edible organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys as well as the robe, using the bison's own hide to pack and carry the meat.

"We should take the head, too," Fishlegs pointed out, gaining a look of confusion from Hiccup, "We can crack the skull open and use the brains to help in tanning the hide."

"Alright, that's gross, but useful," he said, frowning as he slung the head up into the saddle, "Can you fly with this, bud?"

Toothless grunted and gave a small flap of his wings, lifting from the ground slightly, and touched back down. He could fly, but not very far without resting. It would be a long trip back to the ship.

 **.**

"How are you doing?" Thuggory asked his fellow chief as he sat next to Dagur, who was tending their campfire. The man had been eerily quiet the entire trip. "Feeling better?"

Dagur grunted, "I haven't felt my madness rising if that's what you mean, Thug."

"It's not," the Meathead chief said, shaking his head, "We may not be Blood Brothers, like you are with Hiccup, but you're no less a friend, and I do tend to worry about my friends, you know?"

Dagur sat back, sighing, "It just feels strange without...you know...?"

Thuggory nodded, "Yeah, I know," then sighed, "But your dad at least went out the way he wanted to go. Mine? He tried to stab our friends in the back, and feed me to a giant dragon."

Dagur frowned, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be insensitive."

"We're vikings, it's kind'a our thing, right?" He joked, making the younger man chuckle lightly. "And you don't have to worry about it. Dad made his choice, and it cost him, simple as that. No one's fault but his own. Your dad did the opposite of what he did, and saved his son's life, and died like a true warrior. I kind'a envy him that."

"But I wasn't ready to live without him," Dagur sighed, "I never...I never thought I'd lose him like that..."

"Life, funny thing i'n't it?" Thuggory said, "One minute, you're alive, next you're pushin' up daisies. And you never expect how you go, either. Peaceful, or battle."

Dagur shrugged, "I think...I think he was at peace when he died...I hope he was..."

"Died with his boots on," Thuggory nodded, and knocked him in the shoulder, "Doing what he felt was right by him, and -What the - ?!" Bonesnarl suddenly muscled his way between the two vikings, growling lowly. "What's up, big guy?"

Dagur got to his feet, reaching for his sword, "Something's not right." He said, "It's gotten too quiet."

Thuggory reached for his shield and war axe, "You're right...Bone, what do you see?" He said, crouching low to line his sight up with his dragon's. Bonesnarl was glaring hatefully at a small drop-off cliff that over looked the beach, and was high in grass. In the dim light of the fire, Thuggory caught gleam of eyes glaring right back at them from the grass. "There!" He hurled his axe, spinning it through the air with practiced ease.

A large shape lept from the grass, barely missing the axe. The shape roared viciously, answered by an angry Bonesnarl as the dragon thundered forward as the beast landed.

It appeared to be a feline, a feline the size of an ox! And those teeth!

"Bonesnarl, away!" Thuggory warned as the dragon barreled into the beast.

The cat snarled and clawed at the dragon's face, raking its claws over the skin between his eyes. Bonesnarl roared with his green flames blasting out, warning the large feline off as it rounded on the two humans, seeing them as easier prey. Thuggory and Dagur stepped up, ready for a fight when an arrow whizzed right between the pair, and struck the cat dead between the eyes as it lept, and ploughed into the sand.

Surprised, the two men looked behind them to see Camicazi still holding her bow, the string vibrating from the release. Thuggory looked stunned by the shot, "Um, wow...thanks for that..."

Cami giggled and gave the young man a sultry smirk, "Any time, little boy."

"L-little?!" Thuggory blushed brightly as Dagur snickered, "I-I-I'll have you know that I'm older than you!"

"Oh, wee lamb," Cami simpered, making Dagur outright laugh as the others joined them. "Looks like we've got more than just Lava Louts to deal with, Alvin."

"Aye," the former chief said, kneeling to inspect the kill, "Masterful shot, lass. Yer mum must've taught ye well."

Cami beamed with pride as she went to claim a prize from her kill. "Hiccup and Fishlegs have been gone an awful long time," she noted as she cut the claws of one paw from the cat, and stomped out both of the large upper teeth, "You don't think they ran into trouble, do you?"

Astrid sighed as she held Olga away from the large feline with Stormfly hissing at it. "I don't doubt this island's dangerous, never did." She admitted, "But I also doubt that Toothless would let anything happen to them. It anything, we'd have heard him a hundred miles away if a fight broke out."

"He's a decent fighter," Snotlout had to admit from past experience.

"INCOMING!" The twins shouted from the beach. No sooner had they shouted than the rush of wings caught their attention, and Stormfly bounded over to greet Toothless as he flew/bounced onto the beach camp, looking tired as he lugged a large white hide that looked to be bloodied and packed with whatever had worn the hide.

Both Hiccup and Fishlegs slid tiredly from the saddle and slumped to the ground. Hungry, and exhausted from the slow flight back. "Good job, buddy, good job," Hiccup mumbled absently patting the tired dragon.

"Next time, I think we should bring Hookfang," Fishlegs suggested, "He can carry much more than poor Toothless."

"Rrrrrooooo~," rumbled Toothless in agreement.

The group crowded around the returned hunters, the two humans ushered to the fire while Toothless was given plenty of fish to eat while he rested. Spotting the downed predator, however, Hiccup was immediately fearful of his family, but found both Astrid and Olga to be completely fine. He and Fishlegs then went into the tale of their flight over the island, recounting their sightings of the dire wolves, and another strange feline like the one that Camicazi had brought down as well as the giant elk and bison herd from which they had taken the white beast from.

"Fortune smiles on us at least," Alvin said as the bison meat was stored into the hull to be kept cool by ice harvested from the sea, some of which was now being roasted over the fire to feed the hungry hunters that had downed the beast. "And a white hide, of all things, lad." He said, waggling a finger at the young man, "T'will make a fine cloak fer ye and yer lassies."

Hiccup chuckled, "I'm just glad we got back with it," he admitted as he sat with Astrid and Olga, who was sitting in his lap and dozing against his chest. "But this island has a lot more danger than we thought. I figured we'd just have to worry about Lava Louts, and maybe a few wild dragons, but the wolves and this...this thing here...I never even imagined!"

"Seeing yer first saber cat will do that," Alvin nodded in agreement, drawing looks of surprise from the younger vikings, "Aye, I've heard o' these beasts, but I thought they'd died off long ago, like the cave bear, but seems tae me that a lot o' beasts survived."

Camicazi didn't seem to care for the most part, happy with her trophies from the cat.

"So," Ruffnut said, testing a piece of meat with her dagger, "what's the plan? We'll need a lot more than one bison to feed the tribe."

Alvin nodded, "I know. And tomorrow, we'll hunt 'til the hull is full." He said, grabbing the spit and slicing off a piece for himself, "Now, eat up. We'll all need strength fer tomorrow."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ Short chapter, but it will build up. They're in Lava Lout territory, and the dangerous do not just extend to a tribe of feral vikings.

Please review!


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